Lover
by idig4skullz
Summary: Second installment following Stalker! Ayumi and Yoshiki are finally dating and happy . . . they think. But, when the touchy subject of marriage is suddenly pushed upon the teens, will their relationship falter, or just grow stronger?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

A/N: Lover is back!

Lover

Summer had just hit Japan. School was out and Ayumi was free from all of her class representative duties. She had to admit, she was going to miss being the talk of the school, what with her positive attitude and high standards. Ayumi loved her position and it was going to be a struggle having to let go of it for a few months. She was painfully reminded that next year would be her last one at Kisaragi, and then she'd be off to college to pursue whatever career she wanted. At lot of things interested her, and she was extremely unsure with that she wanted to do with her life, but she knew she wanted it to involve art. She didn't know what kind of stability she was going to have with such a choice in career, but she didn't care. Art was her passion, and _nothing _was going to keep her from it.

"Ayumi? Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah," she said, tightening her grip around Yoshiki's hand. "Where do you want to go?"

"We can go over to my house," he offered.

"Sure! I just love your mother."

"She's quite a catch isn't she?"

Yoshiki's mother (and usually father) spent most of their time away from home and on business trips. But ever since she found out that he had a girlfriend, she had always seemed to be home, pestering him to no end. She loved Ayumi with all of her heart, and Yoshiki appreciated that, glad his mother accepted his girlfriend. But what he didn't appreciate was how she was pushing marriage. He explained to her many times that he and Ayumi hadn't even been dating for half a year, yet she was still pushing as hard as she could although very subtle.

Thankfully, Ayumi knew nothing of the situation, and he was afraid that if she _did _know she'd be scared away. He knew she loved him, but it was still a huge commitment that she probably wasn't ready for. As far as his concerns went, he would be happy to be married to her, although he didn't think she felt the same way. At least, not yet.

"I'm glad it's summer and yet, I'm kind of sad," Ayumi said.

"Hmm?" he asked. "Explain."

"Now that school is out, I get to see you more and spend more time with you. But, I'm going to miss being everyone's class representative. It may sound a bit bad but I miss having that authority."

"You can still be my classroom representative," he whispered, sending a chill up her spine.

Though she had been dating him for months, he still managed to make her blush and make her uncomfortable. Yet she was never able to do the same for him. She made it a mission in her life to do the same to him, and the day she did, she was going to celebrate.

"Don't say stuff like that!" she yelled. "We're in public! I don't want people to hear you and think we're weird!"

"But we are weird."

"You may be, but I'm not! I'm completely normal!"

"Whatever."

"Don't 'whatever' me!"

They continued to walk towards his house, bickering all the way. Ayumi would never understand why he liked her so much. All she did was fuss and pick at him, but he never got tired of it. She knew that if he screamed at her as much as she screamed at him, that she wouldn't hesitate to leave. But five months later he was still here with here. Sometimes it worried her and she felt like she was driving him away. She tried to work on her temper as much as possible, but he still brought out the worst in her. It made her feel bad for him, and not only that, but it struck fear into her heart. When would enough be enough for him . . .?

"Sorry," she said, not meeting his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"For yelling. I'm trying to work on my attitude towards you."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not! Err-uh . . ."

He chuckled and squeezed her hand tighter. "Be quiet."

Ayumi wanted to yell back, but she realized that keeping her mouth shut would probably keep her from screaming at him, so she obliged by his request. Eventually they reached his house and walked up the long, paved driveway to his estate. Before they could even enter, his mother bounded out and wrapped her arms around Ayumi's neck.

"Ayumi!" she squealed. "Oh goodness how I've missed you!"

"Mrs. Kishinuma," Ayumi managed to get out. She could feel her spine cracking at the amount of pressure it was under by the woman's arms. "I was just here a couple of days ago."

"Ayumi, I told you! Call me Ayako and his father, Isao!" she said, cupping her cheek gently.

"Are you sure you prefer such a personal name?" Ayumi asked. "After all, I'm just a girlfriend."

"You are MORE than that!" Ayako said, dragging her inside. "Come in, come in!"

Ayumi was forcefully pulled into the house and into the kitchen where she was thrown down into a seat and served food. She had to admit, she did like Yoshiki's mother a lot-though she was very . . . Ayumi struggled to find a word that described her and gave up when she couldn't. Though his mother couldn't be identified with one word, Ayumi could honestly say that she felt like she was dating Ayako too sometimes.

"Mother please," Yoshiki said, gracefully taking a seat at the table as well. "You're being a nuisance."

"Oh hush!" she said, flicking her wrist in a very girly manner. "I am not! I just love Ayumi! More than you I bet!"

"Well you can't have her."

"Not yet I can't! But soon I will!"

Ayumi ate quietly, feeling the tension between mother and son. They acted this way every time she was over and she felt entirely responsible for it. Though their relationship hadn't worsened, it still didn't look too good. The two fought over her constantly, but Ayumi _did _love the attention.

"Oh, welcome," Isao said, walking into the kitchen. "How are you Ayumi?"

Isao was a problem. Ayumi knew he didn't like her all that much. He probably thought she was loud, obstreperous, and annoying like most people did and she couldn't blame him. She had been trying to change his opinion about her, but with no luck. He always tended to catch her in moments when she was screaming at Yoshiki for some reason.

"I'm doing alright," Ayumi smiled.

"Ayumi, Ayumi, Ayumi, Ayumi, Ay-

"Hush mother!" Yoshiki yelled.

"Ayumi?"Ayako asked, completely ignoring him. "Would you like to go shopping for gowns?"

"Gowns?" Ayumi asked.

"Of course! Wed-

"No!" Yoshiki said, and pulled Ayumi out of the room in a rage. "Come on. We're going to my room."

"Okay."

"Wait!" Ayako yelled, chasing after them. "Ayumi! Come back to me!"

Yoshiki swiftly pulled Ayumi up the stairs so quickly she almost tripped and fell a couple of times. Ayako was right behind them and with each passing second she was growing closer. She almost had a grip on the back of Ayumi's shirt before a door was slammed in her face and locked.

"You give her back when you're done Yoshiki!" she yelled, before stomping away.

With his back against the door, he heaved a sigh of relief. "Though we've established this many times, she really likes you."

"I know," Ayumi said. "By the way, what 'gowns' is she talking about?"

Yoshiki knew Ayumi was smart, but only book smart. She could be extremely dense when it came to real life situations, but in this moment he was very thankful for that.

"I have no idea."

"Hmm. Well okay! Let's watch T.V."

"Sure."

* * *

><p>"I've set up another marriage interview," Isao said.<p>

"WHAT?!" Ayako roared. "No! He's with Ayumi!"

Isao sighed heavily. "I don't like her Ayako . . . at all."

"I thought it didn't matter?! I thought your top priority was just to get him married and have him take over the business?"

"Well, it is. But to be frank, he can do better than her, Ayako."

"What's wrong with Ayumi!?" Ayako screamed, not caring if anyone else heard her.

"Hush!" Isao said, trying to calm his raging wife down. "She's just a bit short in height and temperamental. She's fussy and picky and I'd think he'd make a mistake marrying her."

"She's got good child bearing hips!"

"Is that all you're thinking about?! What about Yoshiki?!"

"You don't care about him! You just want someone who you think will represent the Kishinuma family well and you don't believe she can be the one to do that! Isn't that right? She's a very pretty woman Isao! Very charming and bubbly! Frankly, I don't see how she can stand him!"

Isao huffed in annoyance. "If you think Ayumi deserves better, then don't you think they should break it off?"

"No!" Ayako said. "He needs her and she needs him! They're complete opposites, which makes them perfect for each other! Please trust this Isao! Yoshiki's not stupid-he can make his own decisions! If he picks her, don't you think you should back him up no matter what?! Don't even get me _started _on what he said to Rika at the last marriage interview-my GOD!"

Isao cringed, remembering very well how angry Rika's father was when he called him to explain how Yoshiki treated her on their interview. "That was extremely terrible . . ."

"So are you really going to send him on another interview? Please, think about Ayumi . . ."

After a few minutes of careful consideration, Isao made his decision. "If he isn't engaged to Ayumi in a _week, _he will go on that interview!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Warning: Lemon

Lover

At first, she was unsure of where she was when she woke up. As the gears started turning in her mind, she realized that though this wasn't her bedroom, her surroundings were familiar. She sat up straight and wiped the back of her hand over her eyes before turning her head to look beside her, noticing Yoshiki sleeping quietly.

He had one arm behind his head and the other resting gently at the base of his stomach. She rolled in her eyes, jealous at the fact that he could manage to look good even when he slept.

Throwing the covers off of her, she prepared to walk towards his bathroom when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?" he whispered coolly into her ear.

Ayumi began to stutter profusely. "Uh-I-um-uh-

"Stay with me . . ."

"Uhhhh-

Yoshiki easily cut her off by pressing his lips against hers and gently pushing her back down onto the bed. Ayumi reciprocated the kiss and responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. Her shirt and shorts were no match for him as he swiftly pulled them off, flinging them across the room. Left in nothing but underwear, she squirmed under him as he trailed his hand down her body, leaving a trail of fire behind. Occasionally, a whimper escaped her mouth as the ache built up within her lower region.

With numb and shaky fingers, she started to pull off his shirt as well, but due to the embarrassment, she just dropped her arms knowing he would take care of it.

"Of the many times we've slept together and you're still shy?" Yoshiki asked against her neck.

Ayumi couldn't exactly formulate a sentence at the time, but did the best she could, sputtering out through pants. "Ah, sorry!"

He would never admit this to her, but he hoped she'd remain shy throughout the duration of their relationship. It really was pleasing to see her red faced and nervous all the time, knowing it was all because of him. Ayumi would never know how much her defiance and shyness turned him on, and of course he'd never want her to know in fear she'd stop.

After making quick work of removed his clothes, he attached his lips back to her neck and slid his hand down further until he got to his prize. She gasped in pleasure and he chuckled against her throat, sending vibrations through her body. Slowly and tortuously, he hooked a finger in her underwear and started to coax them off her hips and down her legs where they too were flung across the room.

"Someone's eager . . ." he said, sliding his fingers up and down her sex, coating his fingers in her juices.

"Nnnghh please . . ." she begged. "Please stop . . ."

He pulled his hand away from her and her face turned an even deeper shade of red if that was even possible.

"No! I mean . . . please hurry."

"Oh?" he asked. "What's the rush?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he pushed himself up off of Ayumi and headed towards it.

"Yoshiki!" the sing song voice of his mother yelled. "Open up! We need to talk!"

"Y-Yo-Yoshiki!" Ayumi whispered as loud as she could. "Put some clothes on! You can't answer the door butt ass naked!"

"Why not?" he asked her. "The first time she saw me I was naked."

Realizing he wasn't going to listen to her, Ayumi ducked under the covers and waited for the scream. It definitely came.

"KYAAAAA!" she heard Ayako yell.

"Can this wait a moment?" Yoshiki asked. "I'm a bit busy here."

There was no answer, but the sound of fleeting footsteps. Yoshiki smiled to himself, gently closing the door and turning back to Ayumi. He thought of torturing her some more by walking over to her as slow as possible, but when he saw movement under the covers his curiosity got the best of him. Rushing over to her, he jerked the covers off of her only to see her doing his job.

"Ahhh!" she screamed in mortification. "You weren't supposed to see that! I'm so embarrassed! Go away! I quit, I quit!"

He simply grabbed her hand and lifted her fingers to his mouth where he allowed his tongue to slide over each individual digit, cleaning them of her juices.

Ayumi slapped her other hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming again. She wasn't sure how hot she was, but she was pretty sure she'd catch on fire soon. And yet, she got nothing from him. Not a blush, or a pant, or anything. All she could hope for was that one day, she'd finally be able to take charge for once.

Once again she was pushed back onto the bed and his lips crashed against hers hungrily. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she opened her legs for him and secured them around his waist. She didn't care if he mocked her for being eager, right now she just wanted him. Apparently he felt the same way as he roughly pushed into her, not giving her any time to adjust to him. She didn't want the time though. All she wanted was him.

"Please . . ." she moaned. "Please, please, please . . ."

Quickly giving into her demands, he started to thrust in and out of her, enticing more whimpers and squeals from her mouth. Her noises of pleasure only spurred him on as he continued to thrust, her carefully manicured nails digging into his back. All at once, he could feel her push up against him and her walls clamp down tightly around him. She kept her tight hold on him, refusing to let go as she rode out the waves of pleasure and then gasped when she could feel his hot seed filling her and coating her insides.

Releasing a breath, she dropped down onto the bed beneath him and tried to catch her breath.

"Ass!" she whined, at his smirking and composed face. "Why aren't you tired?"

"Mmm. I am," he said, falling limply beside her and sliding back under the covers. "Goodnight."

Ayumi rolled her eyes and got up from the bed, wobbling on her legs. Her hips and vagina ached from the treatment, but it was a pleasurable ache that she couldn't deny that she loved. Before taking a step, she gasped in surprise at the milky white substance that was flowing freely down her legs.

"Wow . . ." she heard him utter from behind her.

She turned around to face him, her cheeks red once again. "What?"

"That's really erotic," he admitted, his eyes focused on her legs. "You'd better leave. Or I'll have to have you again."

Obliging to his demand, she ran from him and into the bathroom where she shut the door behind her and sighed. Looking into the mirror, she could almost retch at her appearance. Her hair was completely wild, sticking out everywhere and her eyes were still barely open.

"Gross," Ayumi laughed to herself, before turning on the shower.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Yoshiki pulled on a shirt and a pair of pants before exiting his room to see what his mother wanted. He had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say to him, and it would be best if Ayumi didn't hear it. He quickly walked down the stairs, wanting the get the conversation out of the way before Ayumi took it upon herself to join in.<p>

"Mother," Yoshiki said, seeing her hunched over a cup of coffee. "What is it?"

"Why Yoshiki?" Ayako asked, into the swirling blackness of her flavorless coffee. "Why did you answer the door naked?"

"To make you go away of course," he snickered. "You would have probably just walked in like you always do if I would have had clothes on. Do you want to discuss the wedding? If you do, hurry up and say it."

". . . Here's the thing. I'm going to make it short and simple. If you're not engaged to Ayumi in a week's time, you'll have to go on another marriage interview."

"So? I'll be just as foul at this one as I was the last one."

"You can't keep doing this on marriage interviews Yoshiki-it makes us look like we don't know how to raise our child. Plus, think about how Ayumi feels with you going on all these dates?"

"She knows I have eyes for her and her only. She wouldn't be bothered."

"Well, why can't you marry her?"

He sighed heavily. "I don't think she's ready for something like that. I'm not saying she doesn't love me, but marriage is a huge decision."

"Why can't you just propose?" Ayako groaned.

"I don't want to scare her off. She will think we're progressing too fast, and leave."

"I'm telling you she wouldn't do that!"

"I'm telling you that she does not want to get married! Why is this so important anyway?"

"You're father won't let you take over the company unless you're married," Ayako explained. "I don't know why, he just won't."

"I still have one more year of high school. What's the rush?"

"You know how he is! He married me around your age, and we had you just as we got out of high school. He wants you to go down the same path! Not only that, but he knows that whoever he arranges you to marry will be willing to have kids as soon as possible. He just wants the best for you."

"Well, pressuring me like this isn't the best."

"Can't you at least bring it up with Ayumi?"

Turning away from her, he headed back upstairs. "Fine. But if she leaves, this will be on your head since I know you like her so much."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Yoshiki waited patiently until Ayumi was done with her shower. When the bathroom door opened, he turned down the volume of the T.V. and looked over at her, her cheeks flushed red from the hot water. A towel was wrapped around her head drying her hair, and she smiled at him.

"You can shower now."

"In a minute. I need to talk to you about something now."

Ayumi dropped the towel to her shoulders and nodded. "Okay."

She noticed he was hesitating and that was something he usually _never_ did. He looked as if he was actually _thinking _about how he was going to approach her with his question. Immediately, she assumed the worst and thought he was breaking up with her. Her heart started to thrum in her chest as she nervously awaited his question.

"Remember yesterday when I pulled you out of the kitchen and I told you I didn't know what my mom was talking about?"

"Yes . . ."

"Well, I did know. She wants us to get married."

When the towel fell to the ground, his eyes quickly moved over to the door, thinking he should block it. His theory was right, because as soon as he saw her move, he knew she was geared towards the exit. Quickly positioning himself in front of the door, he grabbed her shoulder and frowned. "I knew you wouldn't want to get married at this point. I understand."

"Why does she want us to do this?" Ayumi asked. "We're so young. I've only been seventeen for a few weeks!"

"I know," Yoshiki said. "It's my father. He's ready for me to get married, have kids, and supersede his position."

"But-

"If you don't marry me, he's going to find someone else."

"What?!" she screamed, backing away from him. "Find someone else?! So you're just going to let him tear us apart?! Do you even care about this relationship!?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you letting him do this?!"

"I'm not _letting _him do anything. What are you suggesting I do to keep him from marrying me off? The only option I have would be to run away."

"But . . . UGH! Isn't there something you can do?"

"Not really."

"Okay, so this is what I'm hearing!" Ayumi said, and accepting he wasn't going to let her out, she moved away from the door and him completely. "You need me to marry you to keep you from getting married to someone else! Right? Right?!"

"That is the ideal answer, yes."

"But what if I don't want to get married?!"

"I understand."

"So the pressure is all on me and that's not fair! I can't just marry you to keep some other girl from doing it! It's not fair and it's not right of you to push that decision on me!"

"Well-

"So it'll be _my _fault if you fall for some other girl to marry and start a life with huh?! How is that even okay?! I can't believe I have to marry you! I can't believe I'm being forced to do something like this!"

"Look!" he yelled at her, instantly making her go quiet. "You don't have to marry me Ayumi! If you think the idea is so far-fetched, just say no! I'm not forcing you to do anything!"

"But if I don't-

"Then I'll have to marry someone else. I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. I don't mean to put this on you, but this is reality: we either end it here so I can move on, or you marry me. I know it's not fair, but these are our options."

Of _course_ he didn't want to move on from her, because Yoshiki knew he'd be unhappy for the rest of his life. But he didn't know what else to do. These were the choices and he didn't know any other way out or around them. He would be completely fine with marrying her, but he didn't want her to make the choice to be with him just because she felt she had to. He wanted her to _want _to spend the rest of her life with him and if she didn't, what good would their marriage be? It'd just be one-sided and he didn't want that.

"It's your call," he said, opening the door and allowing her to walk out.

"Why?" she asked. "Why aren't you trying to stop me?!"

"I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to. Make this decision based off of how you truly feel. I won't be mad with your choice."

She was having an internal battle with herself, trying to quickly come to an answer. Desperately, she wanted to run from this. Run right through the door and never look back. But could she really do that? Could she really just leave him here? She loved him so much and leaving him now would just be a struggle because she knew he was going to have to marry someone else. What if he fell in love with someone else? What if he enjoyed laying down with another girl and doing things he was supposed to be doing only with _her_? Was she prepared to live her life, knowing the one she loved was having sex with someone else because of _her _choice?

No. It absolutely sickened her and made her cringe with disgust. She wanted him to be hers and hers alone. If she wanted that, which she clearly did, then why was she fighting this so much? What was so wrong with marrying him? What was wrong with spending the rest of her life with the person that made her heart race with love and her face burn from passion? And not that anything else mattered, but he _was _handsome, caring, attentive, and financially stable . . .

But marriage? Now? What would happen to her life? If they immediately got married and she got pregnant, could she still go to school and go through college life being pregnant? The obvious answer was yes, but wouldn't that disrupt her learning?! Ayumi understood pregnant teens went to school and learned everyday, but what would being pregnant whilst holding the position of class representative say about her? Personally, she believed her integrity and pride would go straight out of the window if she was pregnant at just seventeen years old, and not only that, but wouldn't it also make her . . . slutty?

"I-" Ayumi struggled. "I . . . what about school?"

Yoshiki raised a brow. "What about it? You can still attend."

"But won't I be pregnant? Won't people talk?"

"I don't know. It's highly likely you will be pregnant, but as far as rumors go, I can't answer that."

"But Yoshiki . . ." Ayumi whined. "I can't be class representative _and _pregnant! What will people say?!"

"Does it matter what people say? They shouldn't dictate how you feel."

"GOD!" Ayumi yelled, angrily stomping her foot. "Fine! I'll do it! But I probably won't get to go to school, or college and life will just be really hard for me! I hope you're happy forcing me to do this!"

His eyes widened as he took in her response. The first thing he noticed was that she said she'd marry him. But the second thing he noticed and cared more about, was her last statement. The statement accusing him of forcing her into marrying him and being happy about it. Basically, she had just told him that if marrying him was her only option, then she'd accept it. But what did that mean? He was pretty sure it meant that she wasn't marrying him because she wanted to. She was just doing it because if she didn't, he'd get married to someone else. He couldn't get married to her if she didn't truly want to, right? And not only that, but apparently, she was feeling _forced._

"Are you marrying me because you want to, or because you have to?"

"Huh?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Just answer the question."

She awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, and scoffed quietly. "Just be happy that I'm marrying you and don't worry about my reasons so much, okay? This is my life that's being ruined after all."

". . . Wow," he muttered, a cocky smile ghosting over his features. "I'm not going to marry you now. Forget I even asked."

"Wait, what?!"

"You heard me. I can't be happy that you're marrying me because you think you have to, and that you're being forced. I'll just go on the marriage interview."

"Are you freaking serious? You're dating me! You can't go on a marriage interview while we're in a committed relationship! I told you that I'd marry you-why are you making this so hard?!"

"You're not marrying me for the right reasons. You're supposed to marry me because you want to 100 percent. If you think you have to, or that you're being forced to, then what good is the marriage? I feel as though I don't have all of your devotion, and I don't think I deserve that."

"I'm not in the wrong here Yoshiki! Are you seriously not going to marry me?"

"No."

She sighed in irritation, her patience growing thin. "What do I have to do to make you change your mind?"

"Allow me to go on this interview," he said. "And you need some time to reflect on the situation, and think about the pros and cons of marrying me."

"I'm not a child!" she roared. "Stop treating me like one! I'm not going to reflect on anything!"

"Oh really?"

"Nope!"

"I see. Well then I guess there's nothing left to talk about."

With that said, he turned his back on her and left her there simmering in rage. Ayumi could feel her blood boiling in anger at her loss. But it wasn't just _a_ loss-it was many. Yoshiki had gotten the last word, said that he wasn't going to marry her, _and _he was going on the interview. Where had that left her? Was she in the wrong? Was this whole thing her fault? Maybe it was, but there was no way in hell she was going to apologize for it!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

"Father," Yoshiki muttered. "I know about the marriage interview and I know you want me engaged to Ayumi in a week's time, but I'd like to go ahead and go on the interview."

Isao was too stunned to even move for a moment. Slowly and cautiously, he dropped the book he was reading on his desk and it hit with a small, audible thud. "Are you certain? I gave you a week to work it out with her."

"I'm certain."

"Well . . ." the older man said, still completely baffled. "Does this mean you're not going to marry Ayumi?"

Yoshiki sighed. "She only wants to marry me to keep me from marrying someone else. What am I supposed to do? I refuse to marry her while she has that mentality."

"I see . . . but don't you want to marry her?"

"Of course. But I can't. Not now."

"What will she have to do to change your mind?"

"I told her to at least give it some thought, but she openly refused that as well."

Isao rolled his eyes. "She's nothing but a child, Yoshiki. With childish behavior as well. She's a brat. A good for nothing brat. You need someone better than her on your arm."

" . . . I know."

"What? Are you not going to defend her?"

How was he supposed to? Even _Yoshiki_ knew she acted like a spoiled child. When she didn't get her way, she argued until the tables were turned, and whenever she wanted something, she fought until she had it. But that was what he loved about her. He didn't want some other girl that was just going bow to his every whim and wish just because he had money. What was the fun in that? He wanted an exciting relationship because, though he hated to admit it, he was a very boring person. Someone like Ayumi was perfect and even though he didn't believe her intentions behind marrying him were pure, he didn't think he was going to let her go just yet.

"I'll go on the interview, and I'll be a perfect gentleman this time, but I have no intentions, as of right now, of marrying any other girl."

"Well, what's the point of the interview?" his father chuckled.

"To make you look good," Yoshiki said. "The last marriage interview went horribly and it was entirely my fault. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Fine. I'll set it for tomorrow night. You're a good boy, Yoshiki. Too good for that rotten Ayumi."

Unbeknownst to the two men, Ayumi was right outside the door listening to their every word. She knew Yoshiki's father wasn't too fond of her, but she had no idea he thought of her as a childish brat. The words pierced her heart deeply and ruined her confidence. Not only did he think she was a child, but he even deemed her unworthy of even marrying Yoshiki, and that hurt the most.

Yoshiki basically had told him that though he believed her to be a spoiled brat; that he still wanted to be with her. Sadly, this didn't make her feel any better. In fact, it made her feel bad for him yet again. She felt that he was lowering himself to be with her, when she knew damn well he could be doing so much better. At this rate with the way things were going, he might even see the truth and decide to dump her. That thought scared her the most.

She truly did love him and after thinking about it, she _did _want to marry him, but she didn't want to lose out on opportunities that she could pursue as an unmarried woman. What if she and him didn't work out in the future? They had only been dating for six months, and if she was honest with herself, there was still probably a lot she didn't know about him. What if she found out something about him that would force her to leave him? She didn't know of anything, but still, _something _could come up!

Ayumi started to cry and then cursed her tears. Why at a time like this was she crying? Was it because she was literally _torn _between marrying him and not marrying him? What was she going to do? How was she going to come to a decision?

She heard the door creak open and she tried to quickly run away from the scene when he caught her arm.

"Don't run off," he said, making her halt in her tracks. "Why are you crying?"

"B-Because you're going on a marriage interview, idiot!" Ayumi screamed, releasing her pent up rage. "Why?! Why couldn't you just wait for me to decide?! Why are you pushing this so hard?! I feel so _threatened _by the interview that I can't make a decision! I'm going to be constantly worrying about the other girl!"_  
><em>

"I only love you. You don't have to worry."

"Well, I am worrying! You obviously don't care about me or this relationship, since you're so _willingly _going on the interview! How would you feel if you were in my shoes?! How would you feel knowing your _lover _is going on a date with another person that could potentially steal them away!?"

"I only love you."

"You keep saying that, but now I'm seriously doubting it! I'm a smart girl, Yoshiki, I can figure out when your affections for me are dwindling!"

Yoshiki frowned. "I have told you time and time again that I committed to only you. You are the love of my _life. _Why are you doubting my affections for you?"

"Because you're going on the interview!" Ayumi shouted, trying to make it obvious for him.

"I have no choice."

"You _always _have a choice."

"I need to make my father's company look good," Yoshiki sighed. "If I don't pride this company, what will be the point of me superseding it? It needs to be in good standings with all of the other big names, and plus, this is only _one _interview."

"Oh!" Ayumi laughed. "Excuse me! I guess I was thinking about this all wrong! So you're saying that this_ company_ is more important than the so-called love of your life?"_  
><em>

"So-called?" Yoshiki asked, growing a bit tired of her troublesome behavior. "Yes, at this point, you are so-called."

Ayumi faltered and backed away from him slightly, surprised by his statement. "What did you just say . . .?"

"You're a smart girl," he answered smoothly, before turning away from her. "Figure it out."

A/N: Uh-oh . . .


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

"Yoshiki!" Ayako cried, tugging violently on his arm as he tried to move towards the door. He lifted his free wrist to his eyes, checking the time and sighing at how close her stalling was pushing him to be late.

"Mother," he sighed. "You will make me late. I need to leave now so I can be on-

"Where's Ayumi?"

"She left yesterday evening. This is not the first time she's been away from here more than an entire day. Why are you so worried?"

"She seemed different when she left," Ayako muttered, dropping her son's arm. "When I said goodbye to her, she acted quite upset and just left in a hurry!"

"I don't know anything about it."

"Liar! What did you do?!"

Yoshiki again checked his watch, not wanting to discuss what happened between him and Ayumi. He was already feeling bad because of it, and knowing that they weren't speaking because they were angry at one another was really bothering him. Because of his easy-going nature, he could easily apologize first to her, but he didn't know what for. He couldn't apologize for going on a marriage interview that was completely out of his control, but he guessed he _could _apologize for pushing marriage on her.

_"What fool apologizes for wanting to spend the rest of his life with someone that he loves?" _he mentally berated himself.

"I need to go now," Yoshiki said, pulling his arm free from his mother's grasp. "I will be back later tonight. Do not wait up for me."

Though Ayako was screaming at him to come back so she could force the truth about what happened between him and Ayumi out of him, he continued to distance himself further and further from her, and closer to the restaurant. He really didn't have any intentions of telling his mother anything about what happened, as it was none of her business. And really, what would he tell her?

Would he tell her that it was possible that he and Ayumi might _not _get married? He didn't want to give the woman a heart attack, or send her into a depression. However, he was quite worried that if he didn't patch things up between himself and Ayumi, that even _he _might fall into a depression. He just hoped that this night wouldn't be too stressful, and this marriage interview would run a smooth course.

* * *

><p>He arrived at the building and saw who he assumed to be his date sitting on the ground in front of the restaurant. At least, he thought it was her. Usually the females were supposed to arrive with their fathers where a proper introduction would commence. But, the girl was all alone.<p>

Walking up to her, Yoshiki bluntly asked, "Are you by chance here for a marriage interview?"

"Oh!" she said, standing up and smiling. "Yes I am! I'm Akari, pleased to meet you!"

"Where's your father?" Yoshiki asked.

"He gets tired of showing up to all of these interviews with me, so I go alone now. I never get picked!" Akari complained and then crossed her arms. "I wonder why."

"Let's commence this date then," Yoshiki said, walking towards the restaurant. "And perhaps by the end, I will be able to tell you what's wrong with you."

"Sounds good!"

The two sat down at their designated table across from each other, and Yoshiki sighed, trying not to be mean to the girl. But he didn't think that would be a challenge, as she was quite easy-going. Not only that, but she was awfully plain too. She was simple, with a brown brain falling down her back and green eyes. Nothing at all special.

"I've been here hundreds of times," Akari groaned. "They ought to know by now that I hate water! I have to tell them to bring me lemonade every time!"

"They serve drinks other than water?" Yoshiki asked. "I might have to request something else too . . ."

"Right? They don't even ask you-they just assume you want water! Not everyone wants water with their meal, jeez!"

"At least the meal is good."

"I guess. But like I say, I've been here _so _many times that I've had every single one that they have to offer. They get boring. I swear if they bring me lemon-pepper chicken _again _I'm going to flip this table!"

"Please do," he chuckled. "That would be very entertaining."

"It would be such a tragedy if they banned me," she said, sarcastically. "I would be _so _upset!"

Eventually, their food was brought to them and immediately Akari sighed. "At least it's not chicken. This is actually one of my preferred meals at least."

"Really?" Yoshiki asked, poking at his dinner. "I hate fish."

Akari lifted her fork dramatically over her head. "May I?"

Yoshiki had no idea what she was about to do and he flinched when he suddenly found her slamming her fork into his piece of fish and hauling it onto her plate. She smiled and began to eat before slightly laughing at his stunned expression.

"Most people have left before this," Akari explained. "I'm pleasantly surprised you've lasted this long! I guess you haven't found anything wrong with me, huh?"

He stared at her whilst coming up with an answer. As far as his concerns went, Akari was just fine. She was extremely animated, jumbled up in thought, and a bit loud, but otherwise he liked her alright. Of course, she wasn't Ayumi, but still, she piqued his interests.

"I like you," Yoshiki admitted, although hesitantly.

"Finally!" Akari yelled. "I thought I'd never see the day!"

"You couldn't have been rejected by _that _many people."

"I lost count after thirty something. At first, I thought I was just getting dates with sucky guys, but nope-it's me! I'm weird."

Yoshiki shook his head. "It's alright to be different."

"I guess it is . . . but!" she said, perking up. "I don't want to sound pushy or anything but, you said you liked me so can I expect another date?"

Before he could answer, she clasped her hands together under her chin.

"Please?" she asked. "You're the first person who's ever lasted this long with me, and it would suck so bad if I didn't get to see you at least once again!"

Because he was who he was, he didn't avoid her eyes and instead, answered her question as honestly as possible. "I am . . . in a deadlock with someone else at the moment."

"A deadlock?" Akari asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Yoshiki sighed. "It's complicated."

"Ugh, I should have known you'd be seeing another girl . . . Gah, oh well! At least I got to meet you right? At least I still have hope!"

For whatever reason, he wasn't keen on the idea of never seeing Akari again. Of course, he had no relationship type intentions in mind, but she was easy-going and cheerful and fun, which was something he needed in his life at this point, since Ayumi was no help. Akari could possibly lighten his souring mood, but that's _all _she would be doing for him. He wasn't planning on letting her make him forget about the problem with Ayumi, and he _certainly _wasn't planning on letting her steal his heart.

Though, it was very vulnerable and open at the moment. Ayumi had left it lonely and seeking comfort and compassion and anyone could step in and take over the role that _she _was supposed to be feeling. That would never happen, obviously, but someone could try and perhaps their attempt might not be so in vain.

But his mind was much stronger, and would definitely keep his emotions in check. Plus, it's not like this state of despair would last forever-he and Ayumi would patch things up in no time.

"Really?" Akari asked. "Let's do it! I'm free always since no one likes me!"

That comment actually made him chuckle a bit. "Likewise."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Ayumi was feeling extremely depressed and a bit angry as she furiously shoved boxes of cereal onto a shelf. In the last few weeks, she had begun to hate her job. Sure, the organization and stacking usually helped to calm her nerves, but now it was stressful. What if she didn't put the boxes in the correct order, even though they were all the same? What if one was dented? Would it go on the outside of the row, or would it be placed somewhere in the middle? Would dented boxes turn people away? Would they be more or less likely to see it if it were on the end of the row, or in the middle? These were the questions that were constantly running through her head, and coming upon a dented box of cereal, she lost it right there and threw it down before stomping away in a huff.

Refusing to compose herself, she allowed her leg to swing out and angrily kick at an obnoxious cardboard cutout of a small child drinking a glass of milk-a foolish way to attract customers in her mind.

"Why are you even here?" Rena asked from the front of the store. "You've got Yoshi to buy you whatever you want! Why do you still come into work? Such a waste of time."

"I like to be productive," Ayumi said. "Is that a problem?"

"It is when you're kicking cardboard cutouts," Mika laughed. "What's the problem?"

Ayumi sighed. "It's . . . nothing."

Mika gently pulled Ayumi away from Rena and tried the question again. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"Well . . ." Ayumi started. "It's the whole thing with Yoshiki . . . to make a long story short, I have to marry him _now, _or I'll lose him _forever._"

"Oh wow . . ."

"Yeah. And he went on another marriage interview and now I don't know what to do. I can't sleep, eat, or even think straight!"

"How long has it been since you talked?"

"About a week . . ."

"Shinozaki!" Mika scolded. "At least talk to him!"

"He called me incessantly for three days, but I never answered," Ayumi spoke. "But on the fourth day he . . . he just quit! I haven't heard from him since! What does that mean?!"

"It means you need to be the bigger person for once! Talk to him! You'll feel so much better!"

Ayumi shook her head sadly. "I don't even know where to start."

"Start with-

"Oh God," Rena grunted from the door. "Shinozaki, you better come look at this."

"What did you do this time Kurosaki?" Ayumi asked, walking over towards her. "I swear if you spilled something again, I'm not going to clean it up!"

Rena rolled her eyes. "Would you just look outside before they disappear?"

Following Rena's long manicured finger that was pointing at the glass, Ayumi's worst nightmares suddenly came true. If the sight of Yoshiki walking with another girl wasn't disturbing, it was the fact that whilst they were walking, they were _smiling _and _laughing. _

"But . . ." Ayumi muttered, feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder. Tears began to unconsciously pool in her eyes and slide down her cheeks. "He _never_ smiles . . ."

"Obviously he does with that girl," Rena said, completely disregarding of Ayumi's state. "I don't know why he always goes for the plain and simple ones! Look at her! I mean who still braids their hair!"

"Kurosaki!" Mika scolded. "Just hush, please!"

Yoshiki and the mystery girl had long disappeared, but Ayumi was still staring through the window at the space they once occupied, _together._

She couldn't tell which emotion she was threatening to release: anger, or sadness. First of all, she was furious. Furious at the sight of him walking with another girl before he decided to patch things up with her! He could have at least apologized first and _then _start to sneak around, but it seemed that he couldn't wait even two weeks before he went scouting for another girl to get married to! Sure, Ayumi didn't answer his calls, but why didn't he at least see her in person?! Would that have been too much of a hassle?

The next emotion Ayumi could feel well up in her chest was sadness, mixed in a painfully heart clenching concoction along with jealous and envy. Why couldn't that be her walking with him? Ayumi had never seen him with such a smile on his face-why couldn't in their six months of dating he have smiled like that with her? Why was it only with another female? And worse, if he was so happy with that other girl, did that mean he could potentially like her? Could he potentially like her enough to _marry _her?

The thoughts made Ayumi want to cry-but she didn't.

No, rage overwhelmed her as her fists clenched and her fingernails dug painfully into her palms.

Ayumi was mad.

No, _seething _with anger.

And very, very, _very, jealous . . ._

At the moment, she didn't care if she was on the job, as she shoved Rena out of the way and stalked out through the door in the direction that they headed. She could hear the two girls yelling at her to come back, but she refused to turn around. No, she had to _find _them, _follow _them, and see what they were talking about-and it _better _not be about _her. _

Pushing through the crowds of people, she hurried her pace, trying to catch up to them. There were so many twists and turns they could have taken, but she stuck with her gut and kept going straight. She wondered for a moment what she'd do if she found them. What would she say? Would she confront them and yell at them and take Yoshiki back? Or would her emotions explode and force her into a crying breakdown?

Whatever the option may be, she didn't have much time to think about it, as she finally caught up to them just as they were about to take a detour and walk _romantically _through a park together.

"Hey dickhead!" Ayumi screamed, and was momentarily surprised at her own language.

However, she eliminated her shocked expression when they turned around since she wanted to seem angry at them, which wasn't hard.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Ayumi asked Yoshiki.

They weren't close, probably separated by twenty feet or so, but she welcomed the proximity-she didn't want to be anywhere near him at this moment.

"I'm enjoying a simple day out," Yoshiki said, calmly, hoping his peaceful voice would also calm Ayumi down. "Am I not allowed to partake in simple luxuries such as taking a stroll around a public park?"

"W-who is that?!"

Akari took this opportunity to introduce herself. "I'm Akari! Nice to meet-

"SHUT UP!"

Ayumi watched as the girl went silent and looked back at Yoshiki.

"You couldn't even last a full two weeks huh? Before you just _had _to go find someone else?!" Ayumi accused.

"She's from the marriage interview and we're friends. I was not intentionally looking for someone else."

"So why didn't you come to me?!"

"You wouldn't answer your phone."

"You should have come and seen me in person then! Why did you give up so easily!?"

Yoshiki sighed and for once, felt embarrassed by Ayumi. Here she was, yelling and screaming at him in a public area in front of someone she didn't even know. Something like this, he decided, would have been perfectly acceptable if she was his wife, because that would have just meant that she loved him.

But this was not a loving scream. This was a scream that told him that she hated him, and he didn't know why. All he was doing was walking through the park with Akari. Was Ayumi assuming he was being unfaithful? Was what he was doing incorrect in her puzzling and complex mind? He couldn't count how many times he had told her he loved her, so why did she doubt him so much? Why was she acting so viciously towards him? What had he done to make her lash out so angrily at him?

"Ayumi!" he yelled, raising his voice at her. "Enough!"

"What do you mean, 'enough'?!" Ayumi yelled back. "Can you not see what you're doing?!"

"I am doing nothing wrong! Akari is just a friend!"

"Yeah right!"

Yoshiki angrily turned around, prepared to walk away from her. He was at the end of his rope. He was finished with her screaming and yelling. Now, of course, her screaming and yelling was why he loved her so much. However, when it was directed at him for something he didn't even do, that was where he drew the line. He couldn't take it anymore. Ayumi's attitude had caused his demeanor to change entirely from hurt and depressed, to angry and fed up.

He had tried desperately to call her and talk to her about the situation, in attempts to sort it out. Not only did he want to fix the problem, but he wanted to do it in a mature and orderly way. But here in a public park with her screaming at him at the top of her lungs was just unacceptable. Since when had she become so immature? Truthfully, he didn't know, but what he _did _know was that she was making him look bad, and that was something he _hated._ No matter who it was, he wouldn't lower himself to anyone; not even Ayumi.

"Are you planning to walk away from me?!" Ayumi yelled, stomping her foot down in protest. "Stop! We're going to discuss this!"

"We will discuss nothing!" he yelled back at her. "There is nothing left to discuss, because I am cutting ties here! I'm over this Ayumi! Goodbye!"

"But-

"No!" he said. "It's done! I'm done! _We're _done!"

And with that said, he swiftly turned on his heels, and walked away. Akari shot one last sad glance at Ayumi before catching up to him and walking at his side.

At first, her brain refused to register anything that just happened. It resorted back to when she was in the store stacking boxes, since it wasn't quite ready to process the fact that her lover just dumped her. But as the time passed and the wind blew the leaves off of the trees and the people passed by her, looking back to make sure she was okay, she finally understood.

And she began to sob pitifully in front of everyone.

A/N: Whoa . . . who's side are you on? Was it fair for Yoshiki to break up with her, knowing that Ayumi has a passionate spirit and looses her temper often? Didn't he want to be with someone like that? Didn't he ask for it? OR, was Ayumi just being immature and spoiled? Was she being childish for screaming at him in public and embarrassing him? Hmm . . . what do you think?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

"NO!" Ayako yelled, dropping to her knees and grasping her head as if she were in physical pain. "What do you mean Ayumi is never coming back?!"

"I mean that won't return because I've ended our relationship," Yoshiki said.

"But why? What could have possibly happened?!"

"It's complicated."

"NOOOOO!"

"Ayako, dear," Isao said, comfortingly patting her back. "It'll be alright. This is for the best."

"FOR THE BEST?" Ayako screeched. "For _who_?!"

"For this family!"

Ayako shook her head. "No, no, no, Ayumi was _perfect _. . ."

"She wouldn't marry me," Yoshiki stated. "This is not my fault. She only resorted to marrying me because she was afraid I'd marry someone else."

"Well?" Ayako asked. "Will you? Will you marry the girl from the interview, Araki?"

Yoshiki shook his head. "First of all, her name is Akari. And I don't have any intentions of getting married to her."

Isao nodded in understanding. "That's alright. I will allow you to think about it."

Though Yoshiki wasn't planning on thinking about it, he was pleasantly pleased that his father wasn't bothering him on the matter. He had only known Akari for a few days, and it wasn't even proper of him to be considering marrying her. Plus, after just separating from Ayumi, he wouldn't feel right entering a committed bond with Akari yet.

Not that he was planning on it anytime soon. Akari was nice, bubbly, sweet, and caring, but she didn't quite do it for him like Ayumi did. He guessed that he'd have to change his interests and standards though, because he was sure that no one else on earth would ever match up to what Ayumi was. No one could ever possess such simplicity, and yet be so unique.

The break up had bothered him for the first couple of days and now he figured he was moving on, but he was surprised at how easy it was for him. He certainly wasn't going to miss arguing with her all of the time, feeling insecure, or hearing the shrill and utter anger in her voice. He could vaguely remember how jealous he was when she would talk to other guys, or go places with Kei, but now it didn't bother him so much anymore.

For some reason, knowing that they had severed ties and he didn't have to worry about upsetting her, or watching her talk to other guys, he felt _free, _albeit a bit lonely. He supposed the feelings of loneliness would pass though, what with all of the _great _support he was getting from his mother.

"You're such a-a-a fool!" Ayako yelled. "You're going to regret this Yoshiki! REGRET IT!"

"Actually," Yoshiki said. "I feel quite fine with everything as of right now. There is no telling for the future, but in the present, I feel as though there isn't a weight on my shoulders."

"Good," Isao smiled. "That's wonderful."

Ayako huffed and turned away. "No! That's awful!"

"Why do you say that?" Yoshiki asked. "Shouldn't you be happy that I am happy?"

"You won't _be _happy forever, _son_. One day, you're going to look back and realize how foolish you were. Because I am your mother, _I _know best! You should go back to her Yoshiki! Please! Don't let her suffer!"

"She chose this for herself, but not complying to my simple request," Yoshiki huffed. "I asked her to marry me, and she argued with me until I couldn't take it anymore. This is all of her fault. I am not to blame."

"Don't do this! You are perfect for one another!"

"_Were _perfect."

"UGH! Atari will _never _be Ayumi!"

"Of course not," Yoshiki said. "They are two different people. I believe that if you give _Akari_ a chance, you will like her. Though I'm not going to marry her, I'd like you to meet her."

"_NO._"

"Ayako," Isao laughed lightly. "You're being unreasonable."

"_He's _being unreasonable."

"Ayumi was being unreasonable."

"She was not!" Ayako screamed. "She was just feeling pressured, and she reacted the way any pressured girl would! So what if she yelled and screamed a bit? She probably didn't mean any of it!"

"I will never know if she did or didn't," Yoshiki said. "Since I won't be speaking to her again."

Ayako was finally finished with the situation and tried to leave when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Akari will be joining us for dinner tonight," Isao told her. "Please offer her a warm welcome."

"She will get no such thing! And I'm _not _cooking dinner for her!"

"Ayako!"

But the woman ran, leaving the two men to sigh to themselves. Yoshiki watched his father walk off to find a butler and Yoshiki simply went into the living room to watch T.V. and wait.

* * *

><p>He opened the door to find Akari smiling toothily, her father right behind her. Out of respect, Yoshiki held out his hand to properly greet the man, since he hadn't had to chance to do so on the interview.<p>

"Will you be staying?" Yoshiki asked him.

"I'm afraid not," the man said. "Unfortunately, I have other business meetings to attend to. Have a nice time Akari."

Akari waved goodbye to her father as he left before turning her attention back on Yoshiki. "So, what are we having tonight?"

"Fish."

"I thought you hated fish!"

Yoshiki just shrugged and shut the door. "It's better to make sure the guest is comfortable."

"Well," Akari smiled. "I am really honored!"

He smiled back and led her through the room towards the kitchen. The two sat down and made small talk until Yoshiki's father joined them, alone. Their food was quickly brought to them and set on the table before them, and the two teenagers waited respectfully until the adult started to eat. Then, they too picked up their utensils, and began to eat with extreme properness. As they ate, Yoshiki was impressed with just how much Akari knew about table etiquette after eating with her at the restaurant. He probably figured that she was just trying to impress his father, and he respected her for that. If it were Ayumi, she'd probably turn her nose up at the meal, or whine about the fish not being cooked to her liking without even trying it.

"Akari," Isao said, after neatly replacing his napkin on the table. "What do you do for fun?"

"I prefer to be alone most of the time," Akari admitted. "With the exception of going on many marriage interviews, I spend most of my time in my room, reading and writing to pen-pals."

Isao nodded. "That sounds fun. What do you mean by 'with the exception of going on many marriage interviews' if you don't mind my asking."

"My father is desperately trying to get me married. But so far, all of his attempts have been in vain. It seems as though no one will marry me."

"That doesn't sound right! You are a very charming young lady!"

"Thank you!"

"Don't you think so Yoshiki?"

For a fraction of a second, Yoshiki paused when lifting the fish to his mouth, but he quickly recovered and sat the fork back down on the plate. "I agree."

Isao took a sip of his water and sighed. "Do you know what would work out just perfectly? If you two were to get married!"

Akari looked away for a moment. "Um-

"I don't mean to impose anything on you," Isao said. "But honestly, your father is looking for a good son-in-law, and I myself am looking for a good daughter-in-law. Marriage right now, while our businesses are in their prime, would be the perfect option. Our companies could even merge, and our wealth would skyrocket-we'd be making double what we are now!"

"Is that all you care about Father? Wealth?"

"Of course not, son. I care about your happiness too! But while you're thinking of your present happiness, I'm thinking of your long term happiness!"

Akari cleared her throat. "I don't mean to interrupt, but who is that woman in the doorway over there?"

Both Yoshiki and Isao looked to see Ayako looking menacingly at them from the doorway, her hair hanging over her face, making her cast a creepy aura. A purple hue of death seemed to surround her as she watched the dinner, completely unmoving.

"Oh this is my lovely wife," Isao said, cheerily. "Ayako! Dearest, would you please come welcome our guest?"

Without saying a word, Ayako shook her head and walked away from the scene like a zombie, refusing to look upon the dinner any longer. Yoshiki and Isao just gave Akari reassuring smiles and resumed with their meals and after awhile, Akari merrily joined them and once again began digging into her delicacy that was tilapia.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

"Ayumi!" Naomi called as she banged on her friend's door. "Ayumi! Please open the door!"

They again received no answer and Hinoe sighed heavily. "See? I told you, she won't come out. I hope she's not dead, or dying-she hasn't eaten in five days . . ."

"Come on out Ayumi!" Seiko tried, also knocking on the door. "You need to at least eat something! You're going to starve to death in there, you're already so skinny!"

No answer.

"That's it!" Hinoe yelled. "Mom and Dad are worried about you, and you're just being selfish! Break ups happen all of the time Ayumi, alright?! You're not the only one! Since you're not going to open this door, Nakashima, Shinohara and I are going to break it down!"

"We are?!" Naomi asked.

Hinoe started to back away from the door, positioning her right shoulder towards it. "Yes we are! Get over here girls! We'll stampede and break it down on three!"

Seiko ran over to the older girl, also eager to join in on the process of breaking down Ayumi's door. "Come on Naomi! It'll be fun!"

Sighing, Naomi also joined them, positioning her shoulder towards the door. "Ready when you are."

"One . . ." Hinoe muttered, bending her knees slightly. "Two . . . THREE!"

The three girls charged at the door, but to their surprise it was opened at the last second and they all tumbled into the room on top of each other, making a mess of limbs on the floor of Ayumi's room.

"Geez guys," Ayumi said. "I didn't think you were actually going to break it down!"

Hinoe looked up at her sister and grabbed her shoulders in anger, preparing to shake the life out of her for ignoring them. However, she quickly dropped her arms, actually fearing that if she did shake the girl too hard, she actually _might _kill her. Ayumi's face was lacking in color and the bags underneath her eyes let Hinoe know that she hadn't been sleeping. Gently taking her hand, Hinoe raised it to her eyes, examining just how boney Ayumi's fingers and wrist were.

"Ayumi . . ." Hinoe muttered. "Please. I don't care about anything else right now, let's just go downstairs and eat something, please . . ."

"I'm not really hungry," Ayumi admitted. "I just ate this morning, I'll be fine."

"No," Seiko said. "Apparently, you haven't eaten in five days . . ."

"This morning . . . five days . . . what's the difference?"

Naomi's mouth dropped open in shock. "It's a big difference! Now please, go downstairs and eat something!"

Not having the strength to argue back, Ayumi allowed them to drag her down the stairs and seat her at the table where they immediately started shoving bags of chips, cakes, and chocolates in her direction. Sighing to herself, Ayumi ate a small individually wrapped cake and a few chips before rejecting everything else in front of her. She really didn't have an appetite, but she did greedily suck down the water that was given to her.

"Do we have any fruit?" Ayumi asked.

"No fruit for you!" Hinoe said. "You need to eat something with some calories and fat so you can put back on weight! Please eat more Ayumi, I know you can."

Her fiery spirit hadn't been lost with her color, appetite, and weight unfortunately. "I don't want that! I want fruit! Fruit I say! I demand fruit!"

Seiko laughed. "Ayumi, you're so cute."

"NO!" Ayumi yelled. "Fruit! FRUIT!"

Hinoe angrily tossed her an apple and Ayumi began to finally eat, feeling better than she had after eating the cake and the chips. After consuming the food, she set back in the chair and sighed.

"Thanks . . . now, can I go back to my room?" she asked.

Hinoe gently pulled out a chair from beside Ayumi and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No . . . we need to talk about this, okay?"

"There's nothing to talk about . . . we . . ." Ayumi faltered, feeling her eyes well up in tears. She angrily wiped them away and sniffled. "We broke up, alright? Actually . . . he dumped me."

"What happened?" Naomi asked.

For the first time since the break up almost a week ago, Ayumi was being forced to actually think about what led them to their end. For the last five days, she had just been wallowing and crying in self-pity, refusing to see anyone or talk about anything. She hadn't even _thought _about the breakup, the only thing on her mind was just how upset she was. But now that she was thinking about, it was literally hurting her brain.

What had happened?

_Why _had it happened?

She knew he was upset over her not wanting to marry him for what he thought weren't "pure intentions," and yes, she did want to marry him because she didn't want to see him marry someone else. Wasn't that part of the reason people got married anyways? Because they didn't want to see their lover marry someone else?

Sure she had freaked out when he imposed the idea on her so suddenly, and yes she was worried about school, but she didn't think he should have broken up with her because of that. Just because she didn't want to go to school pregnant, didn't mean that she didn't love him. In fact, she loved him with all of her heart, and she _still _loved him. So much so, that it caused her to scream at him when she saw him with another girl.

The memory of him at the park with the other girl sent chills up her spine. He'd said that her name was Akari and that she was from the marriage interview, but God forbid, was he thinking about marrying her now that they were broken up? The thought made Ayumi want to cry all over again, scared at the fact that she was going to lose her boyfriend because of her own stupid mistake. Yes she was loud, annoying, and bitter, but he must not have minded if he dated her for half a year.

She had been trying to work on her attitude towards him, but to no avail. Ayumi would always be annoying and pestering and ignorant. That was just who she was-she couldn't help it. But now that she reflected on the situation, she realized that that was probably what drove him away in the first place. Her attitude, combined with the whole marriage fiasco practically _forced _him to move on.

"_I guess the well being of the company really was more important," _she thought sadly. _"Who am I kidding? He loved me, and wanted me to marry him and have his children and I screwed it all up! What have I done?!"_

"Ayumi . . .?" Naomi asked, breaking the girl out of her thoughts. "Are you alright?"

Shaking her head, Ayumi sighed and began to cry again. Now she was just expected to sit back and watch him marry Akari and spend his life with someone else who wasn't _her. _Could she really do that? Watch another girl steal his heart away from whom it rightfully belonged to?

"Ayumi!" Seiko yelled. "Hello? Are you okay?"

"That bitch . . ." Ayumi muttered, surprising the other three girls. "WILL NOT WIN!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Akari walked through the unusually less crowded streets of her town, her dog faithfully trotting along beside her. She enjoyed early morning walks with her pet. Not only did it make her positive and happy, but it did the same for her dog. The dog panted quietly, not even winded from the slightly quick pace, and Akari reached down to pet to animal.

"We'll start going home soon," she said. "Maybe we can hang out with Yoshiki today."

The dog just stared at her and Akari laughed, knowing it had no idea what she'd told it. As they began to walk along again, she began to think more heavily on her words. At this point, it would be a complete lie if she said she didn't like him. It wasn't love yet, but if they continued to grow closer, she could easily see herself falling completely for the intelligent and attractive boy.

Though he was a bit quiet around her, she figured that that was because she hadn't broken him out of his comfort zone yet. At the same time he was blunt, he was also reserved, refusing to open up to her. Akari just figured it was because of the recent breakup he'd just went through, and to think about it now, almost two weeks later, sent chills up her spine. The two had been so angry at each other, especially the girl, Ayumi.

Not that she was afraid, but Ayumi intimidated her a bit. She didn't know if the girl would come around anymore, but Akari didn't care-they had broken up and Yoshiki seemed overall, to be happy because of it.

When they had left the scene, finishing their walk through the park together, Yoshiki had relayed to her the entire situation about marriage, their relationship, and how it quickly failed. He went into detail, almost making her feel embarrassed for Ayumi, because quite honestly, Akari thought she was a bit of a bitch.

Of course, these thoughts were private, and she hoped it wouldn't come down to her having to call Ayumi out over it. But once again, she figured that she wasn't going to be seeing much of the girl anymore.

Akari was suddenly jolted from her thoughts when her dog began to growl, pointing its nose in the direction of a few shrubs.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Akari asked. "Do you smell something? A bunny? Another dog?"

Her pet continued to growl and soon began to pull on the leash, adamant to go towards the bushes.

"Hmm . . ." Akari mumbled. "Is someone there?!"

The bushes rattled, and Rose started to bark, pulling even harder on the leash. Knowing the dog would protect her, Akari slowly approached the bushes and looked behind them, trying to see if someone was there watching her. To her surprise the space was empty, and although Rose had quieted down, she was still anxious.

Akari sighed. "Huh. Must of just been our imagination. Come on now Rose, let's hurry home!"

* * *

><p>Ayumi stood behind a tree, furiously making notes on her notepad. "Dog-Rose. Occupation-walking Rose. Preferred hairstyle-braid. Hair color-brown. Hair texture-coarse, because she probably <em>never <em>washes her hair!"

She slung the notepad down and sighed, turning to look at the retreating back of the female. "What does she have that I don't?! I'll admit, _I'm _pretty plain, but she's even more so! He can't _possibly _want her-it'd be such a downgrade from me! And who names a dog after a flower?!"

Deciding she was done with ranting to herself and drawing unwanted eyes from around her, Ayumi began to storm home. Jealously was consuming her at this point, causing her to deteriorate. Of course, Ayumi would _never _resort to fully breaking down, but she was extremely angry and frustrated at the entire situation. Constantly, she would juggle between upset and enraged, to sad and depressed. Some nights she'd cry, begging to the heavens that Yoshiki would come back to her, and other nights she'd curse him, and go as far as even wishing death upon him.

She was regrettably sorry for what she'd said to him, and just wanted to make amends. Ayumi would probably never admit this to him unless she had to, but she missed him. She missed the perverted things he'd whisper in her ear, leaving her flustered and red in the face, she missed having intelligent conversation with him, and she missed how his calm demeanor was so overpowering that it even calmed her. Lately however, she hadn't been very calm, but that was clearly not her fault. Her emotions had just been all over the place because of the proposal, and seeing him grow close to someone that wasn't _her, _was heartbreaking.

Feeling a bit hungry for once, she began to look down the street, her eyes searching for somewhere that sold food. As the smells entered her nose, her stomach began to rumble particularly loudly, urging her to hunt for a meal faster. Turning down a street she and Yoshiki used to walk down, nostalgia overtook her, almost forcing her to stop and turn around.

Slowly, Ayumi raised her hand to her now blurred vision and pressed it to her chest, hating how she felt so cold. Tears streamed down her face, once again drawing unwanted attention, and she began to wipe them away with the back of her hand.

"I can't be here right now . . ." she whispered to herself before starting to turn back around.

But all of a sudden, she couldn't. Her eyes had caught something too traumatizing to allow her to leave. At first, she doubted that it was him, but as she stared, even through blurry eyes, she could tell that it was Yoshiki.

Not only was it _just _Yoshiki, but with him was an awfully large bouquet of flowers, the colors ranging from white, red, purple and yellow.

"_Oh God . . ." _she thought, quickly coming to a decision. _"They're for . . . for her!"_

Ayumi turned swiftly on her heels, running away from the sight and completely forgetting about her hunger. She couldn't let this go on any longer. What was she going to do? Would she confront him, and simply ask him if they were dating? No, he hated her, and he probably wouldn't tell her the truth. But he had no reason to lie, so why would he?

The thoughts confused her, forcing her to just run faster so she could distance herself from the scene, resisting the urge to turn around and go back . . .


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Yoshiki sat, albeit a bit bored, in Akari's house; exhibiting extreme patience to the endless amounts of questions he was being asked. As soon as he'd walked through the door, her father approached him, sat him down on the couch, and began hurtling questions at him one after the other, barely even giving him time to answer.

"What do you like to do?" he asked.

"Nothing," Yoshiki replied. "Honestly, nothing."

"What?! Do you have any hobbies?"

"Watching T.V."

"Do you play a sport?"

"No."

"Instrument?"

"No."

"What are your plans for the future?"

"To supersede my father in his business."

"Do you drive?"

"Hardly. I have a license though."

"What does your car look like?"

"Well-

"Is it safe? With functioning seatbelts? Manual or automatic?"

"Dad . . ." Akari groaned in frustration. "Please stop the questions already! Why are you pestering him so much?"

Her father just patted her head lightly and smiled. "I'm just making sure he's perfect for you!"

"Who said we were getting married?" Yoshiki asked. "I haven't signed anything."

"No one said," Akari sighed. "It's just that my father here has decided by himself."

Yoshiki looked up at the hopeful man and shook his head. "Mr. Tsuzuki, I am sorry, but I will not marry your daughter."

Yoshiki could tell that his words had deeply offended the man before him, and even Akari as well, but he was serious. He refused to get married at this point. Now, it wasn't as if he was waiting on Ayumi to come around, in fact, he was past that. The whole entire idea of marriage now had a negative connotation to him, and he wanted to stray from it as much as possible. He wasn't even _dating _Akari-there was just no way he could suddenly up and marry her.

"What's wrong with my daughter . . .?" Akari's father asked, a scowl coming over his aged face. "Does she not meet your standards?"

The whole situation was becoming awkward, but Yoshiki didn't mind. After all, he specialized in awkward situations.

"Not really," he answered.

"WHAT?! Y-You have to be kidding me young man!"

"Not at all. She doesn't have what I look for in a wife. Sorry."

"B-bu-but-I-I-"

"Dad," Akari said, shushing her father. "It's fine. We're just friends anyways."

Yoshiki shrugged. "Sorry to have offended. I should probably take my leave."

Leaving the scene behind him, Yoshiki headed for the door with Akari right behind him. She grabbed his arm, halting him from walking any further and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "My father had no right to say that. He just really, really wants me to get married, and I guess he assumed you were the one. I'll understand if you don't want to see him again though. Just . . . please don't stop being my friend because of my father's actions!"

"I won't," Yoshiki told her. "I will remain your friend. I don't care what your father says or thinks of me, but my position remains strong. Akari, I will _not _marry you if I have the choice."

Akari nodded in response to his statement, but internally, her stomach was churning. Yes, she understood that he wasn't going to marry her. He had made that clear to her. But the question of 'why' circled in her head constantly. Surely he wasn't still hung up over Ayumi? No, no, she was sure he wasn't. He hadn't mentioned her once since their breakup that happened over two weeks ago.

So . . . what was the problem? It had already been two weeks, he had moved on from Ayumi, and Akari was free, practically _begging _to be married. Plus, Akari had figured that he liked her since he hung around her so much, but so far, he hadn't even _tried _to advance on her. Maybe he just simply didn't like her? That thought made her feel insecure and she suddenly wanted to shrink away from him and not allow him to look at her. Was she ugly? Was she too stupid?

He had said that she didn't have what he was looking for in a wife. What did that mean? What exactly did he want? Akari figured she was pretty well rounded. She was nice, friendly, she could cook, she didn't argue, she was ready to have and raise kids, and she was always ready to accept defeat. Her mother had told her that that was what made the perfect wife. So why didn't he like her?

"Do you want to hang out somewhere?" Yoshiki asked. "I'm kind of bored."

"Oh, sure. I'll bring Rose too," Akari said. "You can pick where we go."

And why was he confusing her? Why did he bother hanging out with her when he had no interests in being with her? Why did he have to be such a mystery . . .

* * *

><p>Yoshiki and Akari sat outside of an ice cream parlor, and Yoshiki watched as Akari dug into her desert, eating the ice cream in a loving, yet ravenous way.<p>

"You sure like ice cream," he smiled, taking small bites of the frozen substance.

"Mmhmm," Akari answered. "Who doesn't love ice cream? I could come here every day and eat to my heart's content!"

"It's good to be adventurous. You're living life to its fullest instead of letting it waste away. That's admirable."

_"God you're annoying," _she thought, grumpily. _"Just tell me if you like me and stop torturing me!"_

"I wish Rose could eat ice cream," she muttered instead, reaching down to pet the dog.

"I've never owned a pet."

Akari's mouth dropped open. "What?! They're so much fun! And they love you unconditionally!"

"That's not very comforting coming from an animal," he commented. "I'd _much _prefer unconditional love from a woman."

She froze, staring at him with wide and questioning eyes, waiting on him to utter the words she, at this point, so desperately wanted to hear. She couldn't decide if she wanted to tell him off for toying with her feelings, or just let the situation go. After thinking about it, she finally decided to ask him, tired of the games.

"Yosh-

"Oh well I hope you two are having a nice day out!" a shrill voice said, and Akari immediately knew who it was.

"Ayumi . . ." Yoshiki breathed. "How unfortunate-I _was _having a nice day."

"You _ass_!" Ayumi screamed. "How dare you just prance around with your new girlfriend! Who do you think you are?! I ought to beat the crap out of you! You are such a JERK!"

Akari frowned at Ayumi, and as she was watching the fight, she noticed something particularly frightening about the raven haired girl. Akari had known she was skinny before, but now . . . the girl looked a bit ill. Her collarbones jutted out from beneath her neck, her shoulders even more scrawny than before. Once vibrant, her face had lost all color, and the usually healthy space she had bared between her legs was now a gap, even with her bony knees touching as she stood, her hands on her hips. Akari wasn't a doctor, but to her, Ayumi looked _sick_.

"And what are _you _looking at, dog girl?!" Ayumi bit out at her. "What are you staring at me for! I'm not even talking to you-you're not even in this! Just look away! Hide your face! I don't want to see you!"

"You are being ridiculous," Yoshiki said. "Please go home. Or do you insist on ruining my day?"

Ayumi blinked once and then twice, baffled by his expression before her rage tumbled out of her. "Are you dating her or NOT?"

"It is of none of your concern."

And thus, Yoshiki stood, extending his arm out to Akari. "Let's go."

"You'd better not leave!" Ayumi yelled. "I'm not done talking to you!"

"Ayumi," Akari muttered, daring to utter the girl's first name. "Maybe you should . . . go home."

"NO WAY! I'm not done yelling at him! Yoshiki! STOP IGNORING ME!"

"You are such a nuisance. I detest having to tell you more than once to leave me alone. I don't like you anymore. In fact," he said, the words falling easily from his mouth. "I can't _stand _you."

Akari stared at him in shock before looking over at Ayumi who was returning the same look of utter surprise. Ayumi's eyes began to water, but Yoshiki just turned his back on her and began to pull Akari away.

"You don't mean that . . ." Akari mumbled to him, just as they moved far enough from Ayumi so that she couldn't hear them. "Don't say things you don't mean."

"I did mean it," Yoshiki scoffed. "I am sick of her. Don't tell me her behavior was not boarding that of insane?"

"She's just upset. I think she really loves you."

"Well, that's a shame. I do not return the feelings. Would you like me to walk you back to your house?"

Akari smiled. "Hmm, sure! How about-

"Oh my God!" a voice called behind them. "Someone call an ambulance! This girl just passed out!"

The neurons in Akari's brain didn't even have time to send and receive messages about what was going on before Yoshiki had _completely_ abandoned her side . . .


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Ayumi awoke with a headache, sharp pangs traveling in circles around her skull. Opening her mouth to speak, she suddenly gripped her throat in agony and began frantically searching around for something to drink. Seeing a small plastic cup of water beside her, she grabbed it and greedily gulped it down, the cool water soothing her parched throat.

After her thirst was quenched, she looked around and took notice to the environment she was in, and quickly realized it was a hospital.

"Oh," she snorted to herself. "So I'm in a hospital? Then _why _am I in pain? Shouldn't they be taking care of me? Nurse! NURSE!"

A nurse with a clipboard quickly ran into the room with a smile on her face. "You're awake? I'll get the doctor!"

Before Ayumi could ask anything, the woman was gone and replaced by a nice looking man with a white coat and glasses, presumably her doctor.

"Have I been in coma or something?" Ayumi asked.

"Not at all," the doctor said, smiling, although a bit sadly. "You've been asleep for a few hours now . . . You passed out in the street and the ambulance was called. Do you remember?"

At his words, the memories began to flood Ayumi's mind. She remembered yelling at Yoshiki and watching him walk away from her, infuriating her more. She tried to chase after them, but dizziness overtook her and she found herself falling to the ground, her vision fading to black.

"Oh yeah . . ." she muttered.

"You'll have to stay here for a week or two," he said. "It's clear that you haven't been eating, and you're extremely underweight as of right now. It's crucial that you eat at this point Shinozaki."

Ayumi knew she was still growing, and that avoiding food was bad for her, so she just nodded and sighed. "I got it. I'll start eating."

"It's very important, especially after the surgery . . . and whilst remaining on a professional level, I do offer you my _sincerest _and _deepest _apologies."

"Wait, what?"

Suddenly, the door was thrust open and in ran all of her friends, plus her sister and her parents. Ayumi was immediately bombarded with questions and she lifted her hands and pressed them firmly against their ears, blocking out their noise. As she watched them crowd around her, Ayumi could see Ayako move into the room, running over to her side as well.

"Ayako?" Ayumi asked, dropping her arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Your _son_ put my daughter in the hospital!" Ayumi's mother screamed at the other woman.

"I know, I know!" Ayako cried. "But Ayumi, are you okay?"

Ayumi nodded. "I'm fine . . ."

But she wasn't fine. She had so many emotions running through her head, and she felt sick to her stomach. All she could think about was Yoshiki and Akari. If it wasn't clear before, Ayumi was sure now that they were dating. What made the whole entire situation worse, was that no matter how much she _despised _Akari, she was one of the nicest people she had ever met. Granted, she _did _steal her lover from her, but she was never mean to her at all, and Ayumi hated that. The girl was nice-ten times nicer than herself.

Yoshiki needed someone to be nice to him. He needed to date someone that was going to be kind and forgiving and who wouldn't scream at him 24/7. Ayumi wasn't so sure she could do that-she could try definitely, but for some reason, being nice to her significant other just wasn't in her nature. She had hoped that he could tell that she loved him, because she truly did, but he obviously didn't see it and she was a fool for thinking he could.

Why was she blaming him from distancing himself from the stem of his anxiety? _She _was the one that made him go on the interview anyways by refusing to marry him. But what Ayumi feared the most was that she would never get the chance to tell him that she actually _wanted _to marry him now. And _not _just to keep him from marrying someone else, but just because she wanted to be with him. It wasn't his fault that he had to get married, and she had accepted this by now. She accepted that he needed to marry someone, and by God, if she didn't want that person to be her _so badly. _

But it wouldn't be. Because he had Akari now. Sweet, loving, soft-spoken, kind and gentle Akari.

Just as she was about to lie back on the bed and become victim to the many questions, she froze. What surgery was the doctor talking about exactly?

* * *

><p>Yoshiki paced the floor of his living room, refusing to be still for even a moment. Ever since what happened earlier that day, he couldn't relax. All of his thoughts centered on Ayumi. Was she okay? Was she hurt? Was she sick? Scared? Crying? In pain? And the burning question: what happened?<p>

Obviously, she had passed out, that much he knew, but as he ran the situation through his head for the hundredth time, he deduced that it had to be due to how skinny she had gotten. It was clear to him that she had dropped a bunch of weight, and he wondered why. His mind begged him to think it was because she had been sick, or too busy for food, but he knew the real reason in his heart.

It was because of him. He had broken up with her and caused her to spiral down into a depression. He was slowly _killing_ her. How could he do that to her? First of all, he didn't know how he wanted her to feel when he broke up with her. Obviously she was feeling extremely jealous, which, admittedly, a small part of him had desired her to be so. But what he didn't want was for her to be so mentally upset that quit caring about her health.

No matter how he looked on the outside, he couldn't deny that he still cared for her. But did he care enough to take her back? He knew the reason he broke up with her-she was being a bitch, she was getting jealous for no reason, and she wouldn't marry him, and sadly, she was of no use to him if she wouldn't. He needed her to marry him at this point and there was nothing he could do about that fact. His father wouldn't accept him continuing to just date her, so marriage was final and last step.

But she refused, and that wasn't a part of his life plan.

Sighing deeply, he threw himself down onto the couch and stared at the high ceilings, not knowing what to do anymore. His father walked into the room, but Yoshiki didn't notice him until he was at his side breathing down his neck.

"Can I help you?" Yoshiki asked, annoyed at the intrusion of his private thoughts.

"Your mother went to the hospital to see that girl," Isao said. "I'm surprised you didn't go with her."

"I couldn't."

"I understand. Why would you?"

At that point, his father became a detriment to his inner thinking process, so Yoshiki sighed and began to just converse with the man. "Do you think I am in the wrong at all?"

"No," his father said, shaking his head. "Personally, I don't know what's wrong with Ayumi, but it has nothing to do with you, I assure you."

"Father . . . I really wanted her to marry me."

"I know you did, but she wouldn't and you have to move on."

Receiving no answer from his son, Isao continued. "Think of it this way. This is a poor example, but just consider it for me-it might make you feel better. Let's say you're favorite food is pizza and suddenly you can't eat it anymore. Well, what do you do? Sure you grieve and wonder why you suddenly cannot enjoy pizza anymore, but where will that get you in life? Eventually, you just have to forget about pizza and begin to search for another favorite food. Because you cannot have pizza anymore, it is pointless to let it remain in your life, following you around, taunting you to eat it. You have to have the willpower to say no, and find another favorite food item . . . perhaps fish. Do you understand where I am coming from?"

Yoshiki just blinked a couple of times in response. Though he hated the example of comparing Ayumi to pizza and Akari to fish, he completely understood what his father was saying. Ayumi had rejected him, so there was no point in still thinking about her. If he did, it could potentially hold him back, and being a logical person, he knew this could hurt him in the long run.

"I understand," Yoshiki said.

Isao smiled. "You do? Are you ready to move on?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm ready to move on too, as well as Mr. Tsuzuki."

Yoshiki sat up immediately, narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean . . ." his father said, his own eyes lighting up in excitement. "You and Akari are getting married!"


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

A Dangerous Game

"Does mother know you're planning this?" Yoshiki asked.

Isao shook his head. "No. And please do not inform her just yet. I don't want her to do anything rash that might alter your thoughts."

"It doesn't matter," Yoshiki said. "I will not marry Akari."

"Why?"

Met with the innocent question, Yoshiki scowled and looked away, unable to answer.

"It cannot be because you still have hope that Ayumi will marry you," Isao huffed, taking on a more sinister demeanor. "She told you no Yoshiki. Why can you not accept that answer?"

"Because I don't like her answer, that's why."

"Well then tell me son, what has to happen to get you to marry Akari, hmm? Does Ayumi need to perhaps, die?"

"Now I'm pissed," Yoshiki said, a sardonic undertone to his voice. "And now, I'm even further from willingly marrying Akari."

"It doesn't matter," his father huffed. "You weren't any closer to marrying her anyways. Honestly, you have no choice in this matter. I _can _force you to marry her, you know. I don't _want_ to, though. I don't _want_ to force you to sign these marriage papers."

"Then don't."

"But I will if I have to. I am not getting any younger Yoshiki-I can't manage the family business forever. It's time for you to grow up, be a man, and take over. I will not wait any longer."

Yoshiki just shrugged. "I don't want to marry Akari. You seem to think it's me, but it might be her. Maybe she doesn't even like me."

"At this point, Kain and I could care less how much she may or may not like you," his father growled. "Just marry her for God's sakes! Just do it! She's a nice girl! Very quiet and quaint like a wife should be!"

"That's not a good wife."

"Yes it is! I'm doing you a favor by marrying you off to Akari! You'll thank me one day: just do it!"

Yoshiki narrowed his eyes in confusion. His father wasn't one to really raise his voice, especially with him. But, being his son, Yoshiki easily picked up on the change in his tone. Doing him a favor? _That _was something that puzzled him immensely.

"What do you mean by that?" Yoshiki asked.

"Ayumi is just like Ayako!" his father yelled. "Loud mouthed, outspoken, rude, and always defiant! I made such a _mistake _marrying your mother and I'm trying to keep you from doing the same thing! You'll regret it if you marry Ayumi, because I regret marrying Ayako to this very day!"

Taking in the information, Yoshiki allowed his eyes to widen a fraction of a centimeter. He had no idea his father felt this way about his mother. Sure he saw them bicker every now and then, but was their relationship as strained as it father was making it seem?

"Does mother feel the same way?" Yoshiki asked.

"Yes," Isao sighed. "She does feel the same way. I had planned to have more children, but due to the relationship between her and I, we decided not to have anymore after you. I don't want to hurt you, or cause you discomfort, but people like me and your mother are not compatible. I don't belong with a women like her, and you don't belong with someone like Ayumi. I am telling you this from experience. I know what I'm talking about."

"I understand your situation, but don't compare your relationship with mother to the relationship I had with Ayumi. She and mother are alike, yes, but I am _nothing _like you. You don't know who would be the most fit for me, and do not for a second think that you even have an idea. You're goofy, weak, aloof, pushy, and hardly a man. How dare you compare me to yourself. Honestly at this point, I don't even think you know me at all."

"Well, it doesn't matter how much I know you," his father snorted. "Because you just dug your own grave. Congratulations, you're getting married."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes you are. Because if you don't, something bad is going to happen to Ayumi, and you wouldn't want that to happen right?"

Yoshiki began to truly hate his father at this point. He understood that the man wanted him to get married, but now he was resorting to threats to ensure that it happened. This fact greatly bothered Yoshiki, but what could he do? He knew his father had connections, and not only that, but his father owned one of the biggest businesses in Japan. And Yoshiki knew the man didn't climb his way to the top of the food chain honestly at all. His father had lied, cheated, and connived with and against people to gain his position, and Yoshiki didn't put it past him to harm Ayumi.

"You are _pathetic_," Yoshiki said, his eyes burning holes in the paper and pen outstretched towards him. "I will never forgive you for this."

"Not now you won't," Isao chuckled, watching Yoshiki sign the papers. "But in due time you will son. I'm doing this for you and only for you. I'm just hoping that one day you will understand."

Yoshiki stared at his signature on the paper, the shock of what was happening registering in his brain. He was now legally _bonded _to Akari. Though they hadn't had a wedding ceremony yet, the papers technically married them. He truly _was_ a married man . . . in a commitment to a woman . . . a woman that _wasn't _Ayumi.

From his slightly shaking hands, the papers were ripped away as his father looked through them satisfied.

"Like I say, this is for the best. Years from now, you will look back and realize how happy you are. I'll have to call Mr. Tsuzuki to tell him the grand news!"

The man hurried away, leaving Yoshiki alone to slump down on the couch. He couldn't decide how he felt at the moment. Was he upset? A little. Angry? Yes, he was angry. But most of all, he felt a bit trapped. With Ayumi, the feeling of being married would have been different. But with Akari, it just felt binding. He felt more claustrophobic and _stuck_ than he had ever felt in his life. These were completely new feelings that he had never experience before, and he easily determined that he didn't like them.

The front door leading into the living room of the house suddenly opened and Yoshiki looked to see his mother walking in, a frown evident on her usually happy face. Her eyes looked red and puffy, like she had been crying continuously for hours. Purple and unsightly bags hung under her eyes from the exertion of forcing tears out through them, and she looked as dead as a corpse.

"Mother?" Yoshiki asked, rushing to her side.

As soon as he was beside her, the woman fell on him, using him for support so that she didn't sink to her knees. Tears began to escape her already worn eyes as she cried, and Yoshiki pulled her up and shook her slightly, wanting to know why she was crying.

"Mother!" he asked, desperately. "Mother! What's wrong?"

Ayako continued to cry and Yoshiki shook her slightly harder. Anything could be wrong, but he was almost one hundred percent sure it had to do with Ayumi, and this actually frightened him.

"Is it Ayumi?" he inquired. "Please, tell me! Is she okay? Is she sick?"

Suddenly, his mother came to a stand, wiping the rest of the tears off of her face. She sniffled once and then twice before regaining her composure and walking away from him.

"She's fine. Please don't worry about her."

And with that, she was gone.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Akari was sitting and reading a book on her bed when her father burst into her room with a smile on his face.

"Dearest, I have great news!" he yelled, practically beaming at her.

Her eyes widening, Akari dropped the book. "I'm getting another dog?!"

"No! Even better! You're getting married!"

"W-what?!"

"Technically, you are officially a Kishinuma!"

Akari was so stunned for a moment, her mouth slightly agape from the news. She didn't know what to think at this point. Her heart was racing, beating a million times a minute, and she was so happy she didn't even know how to put it into words. Really? Was she truly going to get married to Yoshiki?

Her father had left hours ago to take the marriage papers to Isao at the other man's request. Personally, Akari didn't think much of it. After seeing Ayumi faint and being rushed to the hospital, she knew that Yoshiki was still conflicting with himself over her. She could tell how concerned he was for her well-being in his eyes, and it made her think that nothing would ever come out of a potential relationship she could have with him.

But one thing for sure, was that he was an extremely difficult person to read. Yoshiki could be in love with her and Akari might not even know it. Sure, he was worried about Ayumi, but maybe it was just a . . . friendly thing? Maybe he truly didn't have such strong feelings for her, and Akari was just over-thinking it.

This is what she told herself to feel better about the situation. No matter how much she really liked Yoshiki, she didn't want to be selfish, and she _wanted _him to want to marry her. If they got married and his heart truly didn't yearn for her, what would be the point of the marriage? It would just be one-sided, and she didn't want that.

Trying to lighten her mood, she thought of the positives. Technically, why would he sign the papers if he didn't want to marry her? He wouldn't do that, right? Yoshiki didn't seem like the kind of person who would do things 'just because'. No, he signed those papers because he _wanted_ to marry her, right? Right . . .?

"Get ready!" her father yelled. "We're going out to dinner!"

Akari nodded, and as he left, she headed towards her closet to look for something to wear . . .

* * *

><p>She didn't recognize the extremely upscale restaurant, and when she asked her father why they were going out of their way to eat a simple dinner, he only responded by drastically fanning himself with his hands out of happiness.<p>

Smiling at her father's demeanor, she followed him into the restaurant where they were seated with the already awaiting Kishinuma family. But, Akari sensed something was wrong as soon as she sat down. Isao looked perfectly fine to her and actually, he couldn't look happier. However, she noticed that Ayako looked wretched, like she had just woken up from a deep, sleepless slumber and dragged herself out of the house to attend the dinner. Yoshiki also looked slightly on edge. Of course, his exterior was nothing short of perfection, but Akari could tell something deeper was going on inside.

"Glad you could make it _Kain_," Isao said, taking the liberty of referring to Akari's father with his first name.

"It was my pleasure, _Isao_," Mr. Tsuzuki spoke back with a smile. "I am so happy of our arrangement. Finally, after almost two years of searching, we've finally found someone."

"Indeed," Isao said. "I thought I'd never get Yoshiki married, but here we are, eating dinner as a joined family. Together. As _one._"

Yoshiki kicked his father's leg, uncaring of how rude it may seem. He just couldn't listen to the conversation anymore. The whole "unity with the Tsuzuki family" was enough to make him get up and walk out of the restaurant. Not only that, but dark aura of depression and angst his mother was emitting from beside him was starting to impact his own mood.

He had never figured out what was wrong with her, seeing as that she refused to tell him. Asking her countless amounts of questions had also gotten him nowhere, as she stayed quiet the whole time.

Yoshiki could hear Akari call his name once, and then twice before he finally decided to look over at her. He wasn't mad at her in any way, shape, or form. But honestly, he could care less about talking to her at this point, which was sad, considering that she was his _wife. _

The utter truth behind that statement made him cringe with distaste. He liked Akari, but that was _it. _There was no way he could ever come to love her like he did Ayumi, which was something else to think about. As much as it pained him, he didn't think he was actually head over heels in love with Ayumi anymore. Maybe his heart still bore _some _love for her-after all, he still wanted to marry her-but he didn't think the feelings of love were as intense as they had been in the past. When he broke up with her, he _meant _it when he said it those many weeks ago.

But now, he was just so conflicted with his feelings, he didn't know what he meant anymore.

"Yes?" he asked, finally answering Akari.

She only smiled at him nervously. "So . . . I guess we just got married."

"Yes. I guess so."

"Um . . ." Akari looked around at the many eyes on her and just sighed. "We'll talk about this later."

"No, please," Isao said. "We are all a family now. You can discuss what you like."

Akari just shook her head. "Ah, it's okay. It's kind of private."

"Speaking of private," Kain interrupted. "What are we doing for the wedding? Should we make this formal and public, or private and reserved?"

"Hmm . . ." Isao mumbled. "Ayako, what do you think?"

For the first time that day, Ayako turned and faced her husband. Looking at him through emotionless eyes, she only opened her mouth before shutting it, being at a loss of words.

Isao frowned at her behavior and sighed, "Ayako, really. We're trying to enjoy dinner. Anyways, for the wedding, I was thinking . . ."

Yoshiki tuned them out and stood from the table, announcing that he would return in a few minutes. He didn't even have to alert Akari to follow him, because she was soon trailing behind him as he exited the restaurant and went to stand on the street. If he smoked, this would be a perfect time to have a cigarette and alleviate some of the pent up stress, but Yoshiki would never dabble in the world of drugs, so instead, he just allowed the crisp night air to consume and calm him.

"Okay," Akari said, interrupting his peace. "So you signed the papers, right?"

Yoshiki nodded. "I did. We are officially married."

Akari noticed that his voice was lacking the little enthusiasm it usually held and sighed deeply. "You don't really want to marry me, huh?"

"No."

That stung her, but she ignored the pain. Deep in her heart, Akari knew that she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.

"Well then . . . why? Why did you sign the papers?"

He didn't hesitate to tell her the truth. Besides, what difference would it make if he lied to her?

"My father was threatening Ayumi. If I didn't sign the papers, something could happen to her, and I can't live with that," he answered.

"Oh my God! That's awful!"

"I know. And not only this, but my mother has been acting so strange and depressed since she came back from the hospital, which leads me to think that something's wrong with Ayumi. When I asked her, she told me not to worry about it and that Ayumi was fine, but I'm not so sure."

Akari stared at him in shock, taking in the information. Truthfully, she was searching his eyes for even an inkling of emotion on how he felt about the situation, but she couldn't find any. He was doing what he did best-blocking himself off from people. Though she couldn't detect anything, she knew he had to be feeling _something. _

"I feel so bad for Ayumi," Akari admitted. "And I don't want to sound selfish at _all _about this, but . . . you're married to me, and even though you don't want to be, you are."

"Why don't you divorce me?" Yoshiki asked. "Do you really want to remain married to a man who doesn't and will not ever love you?"

Yoshiki could tell his words were killing Akari, but he was being honest. He knew he would never love her like she wanted him to. It wasn't her fault, technically, it was his. He was still holding on to something that would never be, and that was a relationship with Ayumi. Yes, he had come to terms with himself that even though wasn't in love with her as much as he had been in the past, he would still gladly take her back.

Those thoughts were the ones that disturbed him greatly. Why did he even break up with her? Did he think that as soon as he told her it was over, that the love he held for her would just disappear? Gradually, it had been _slowly _disappearing over time, but it wasn't going fast enough for his liking. He was still at a stage where he desperately wanted to see her, to hold her, and to tell her he was sorry. He was still at a stage where he was willing to accept defeat, just so he could be with her again.

_"I . . ." _he admitted to himself. _"Am a hypocrite. I want to be justified in my actions, and at the same time, I just want her back in my life."_

He didn't know what to do. All he could think about was Ayumi and whether she was angry at him or not, which she probably was. And then his thoughts drifted over to his _wife _that was standing in front him.

_"Because you cannot have pizza anymore, it is pointless to let it remain in your life, following you around, taunting you to eat it. You have to have the willpower to say no, and find another favorite food item . . . perhaps fish . . ." _his father's words drifted in his head, making him unintentionally scowl at Akari.

"Yoshiki?" Akari asked. "What's wrong?"

"I just . . . really don't like fish . . ." he muttered, before abandoning her outside of the restaurant.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

Ayumi was numb. She couldn't feel her arms or legs even if she wanted to. What was this feeling? Was this her body attempting to cut off its blood supply in an effort to kill her? Because at this point, she would gladly accept death. After everything that had happened with Yoshiki and Akari, she was already, though would hesitantly admit it, feeling a bit suicidal. Her emotions had just failed her, and threatened to bubble over and spill out at even the smallest thing. Her head had been in different places, juggling between allowing her to be depressed and allowing her to be angry.

But now, _this_? _This _had to happen? Why was she even still breathing?

Ayumi pulled her legs up to her chest and continued to watch the water lap against the shore. When did she even get here? As she racked her corroding brain for an answer, she gave up when she couldn't get one. She noticed the wind from the water was blowing against her, sending chills up her dangerously protruding spine. Her jacket was slipping off her scrawny shoulders, nothing to hold it to her body. Ayumi allowed it to fall, not caring how cold the wind was. Secretly, she hoped she froze to death, but that wouldn't happen and she knew it. Hinoe would come find her, or perhaps Naomi or Seiko, and they would drag her home and force nutrients into her body, forcing her to hang on to the life she wanted to throw away.

Eying her bony wrists, she wondered how long it would take her to starve to death. The last time she had weighed herself, she was around eighty pounds at 4'11. That was about a twelve pound loss from her usual weight, but that was weeks ago. By now if she had to guess, she was probably pushing towards sixty-five or seventy pounds. Somehow, she had managed to still retain a feminine figure, but that would last long at the rate she was going at, and she was glad. She wanted to die, _now, _and she didn't care if she had to starve herself to do it. She couldn't take this anymore. She needed to die _too . . ._

* * *

><p>Yoshiki knocked on the door of Ayumi's house, perhaps a bit too vigorously. He wasn't even sure how hard or how loud he was knocking until the door was furiously ripped open by an extremely angry looking Hinoe.<p>

"Call me psychic, but I knew it would be you," Hinoe scowled. "Ha. Get it?"

Yoshiki simply narrowed his eyes and leaned against the door frame. "I don't have time for petty jokes. Where is Ayumi?"

"No," Hinoe said.

"No?"

"That's right, no. Or are rich boys like you just used to hearing 'yes'?" Hinoe asked. "You don't need to know where Ayumi is right now. She said she wanted to be alone, and I'm assuming that certainly means she doesn't want to see you."

Yoshiki sighed, trying not to lose his patience. "Just let me speak with her. I can't stay away from her any longer, and I . . . need to see her, _please_."

"I can't believe she blames herself for this. You realize this is all your fault, right?"

"I will accept this is my fault, yes."

Hinoe raised a brow. "What? You'll _accept _that this is your fault?! Who the hell do you think you are?! Do you think you're some god who can do no wrong? Why in the world did she ever date a scumbag like you?! You make me fucking sick!"

"Well, tell me where she is and I will gladly be on my way."

Clenching her fists, she prepared to slam the door in his face. "You know what?! _You _did this to us! You did this to our family, and how _dare _you try to make amends! You are the sickest person I've ever met and I hope you go straight to hell when you die! I hate you! This family hates you! And I'm pretty sure . . . pretty sure . . ."

To Yoshiki's amazement, tears welled up in Hinoe's eyes before the older girl continued.

"JUST GO AWAY!"

The door was rudely shut in his face and Yoshiki sighed deeply before turning and walking aimlessly down the street. He understood why Hinoe was mad at him, though he hated her for slamming the door in his face. At this point, he knew that he had made Ayumi upset and had made her cry and probably made her depressed, but now he wanted to apologize for making her feel that way. Truthfully, he wanted to apologize more on his own behalf. He wanted to apologize for breaking up with her, knowing that he couldn't have ever truly followed through with such a decision. From the moment he had said he was done with her, he still loved her and cared for her, especially for her well-being. He could honestly say he was a fool for thinking that he could rid himself of Ayumi so easily. In the past few days with the wedding growing closer and closer, he realized that he couldn't despise Akari more.

Though it was wrong of him, he blamed her for everything. He blamed her for taking him away from Ayumi, knowing that Ayumi probably didn't want him anyways. How could she after everything that he'd done to her? In her eyes, the love of her life had broken off their relationship to run away with another girl. That made him look like complete trash, and he wanted, no _needed _to somehow prove to her that he wasn't.

If anything, he wanted to salvage a friendship with her, but that wouldn't be enough. No, it wouldn't be enough until she was _his. _Until she was married to him, happily sitting next to him on the couch with their kids running around making unnecessary noise, it would _never _be enough.

And to make matters worse, with him getting married to someone else, it would _never happen._

"_Is this it?" _he wondered to himself. _"Will I live the rest of my pathetic life completely unfulfilled?"_

A raindrop hit his nose, followed by another one on his shoulder, and he slightly tilted his head backwards to see clouds overtaking the sky, spilling rain down upon him. People started running past him, pushing and shoving and searching for shelter. Just wanting to get out of the madness, he headed into a wooded area where the trees still didn't do much to protect him from the rain. Sighing in defeat, he allowed his wet clothes to full stick to him before shoving his hands in his pockets in an effort to keep them warm. He began to walk again, still not knowing where he was going.

At this point, he didn't care anymore. He figured that he was just going to be doomed to waiting around until Ayumi went back to her house, so he could talk to her there.

Trudging along through the woods, he heard the sound of footsteps other than his own also crunching on leaves. He looked ahead of himself and noticed another figure walking, but he didn't care too much. Instead, he just wiped his wet hair out from in front of his eyes and prepared to continue on his way, but he quickly noticed that it wasn't just _any _figure walking through the woods. It was Ayumi . . .


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Warning: This is an extremely sad chapter that deals with sensitive material. Please heed my warning before reading any further. You will need tissues. :'(

Lover

Ayumi couldn't breathe, and it was from a combination of things. First of all, her skinny frame and low body weight had rendered her physically inapt, and the trek up the hill from the ocean had left her breathless. Second of all, Yoshiki was standing literally inches from her face, and she didn't know what to do. The rain was falling heavily, soaking her clothes and chilling her skin, and wet hair was threatening to give her pneumonia. Her initial instinct was to run away, but Yoshiki had an iron grip on her arm, refusing to let her go.

"Ayumi!" he said, making her flinch. "I'm so glad I found you! Please, allow me to speak with you."

_"How can he still hold formality when we're drenched, in the rain, and haven't spoken in almost two months?" _Ayumi thought, sadly to herself.

Normally, she would have run away, but due to just being tired of everything, Ayumi stayed and allowed him to say his piece.

Yoshiki noticed that she wasn't struggling against him and let her arm go. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. Where would he begin? What would he say to her? Well, it would be smart to start with an apology.

"Ayumi . . . I am so sorry. Your sister told me everything."

He noticed her eyes widen and she tried to open her mouth to speak, but he stopped her.

"No, just listen. She mentioned how much she hated me, and how your family hates, and how you hate me as well, and I understand that. I . . . usually don't make mistakes, but I did this time and though it was hard for me to accept it, I have. Breaking up with you was the worst decision I have ever made. I couldn't handle it and at first, I was dealing with it through my denial of my feelings for you. But I can't deny them anymore and if anything, please walk away from me today knowing that I love you . . ."

Not that he was expecting her to embrace him and forgive him, but he certainly _wasn't _expecting her to fall to her knees and start crying. He figured that she was going to yell and scream and curse at him for doing what he did to her, and he'd have honestly preferred that over her crying.

He lowered himself down to her level and tried to hug her, but was promptly rejected.

"You don't get it . . ." Ayumi muttered through sobs. "It wasn't _your _fault. It was _my _fault."

"No," he said. "It wasn't. I shouldn't have broken up with you. I caused you to be like this."

"No! I was the one who chose to stop eating . . . _I _did this to . . . to . . ."

Yoshiki just stared at her. "To who . . .?"

Ayumi's head snapped up and she looked at him through watery eyes, both due to her tears and the intense amount of rain that was beating down on top of her head and falling down her face. "A-Ayako didn't tell you . . .?"

"Tell me what?"

She started to cry again and this time, completely sank into the ground, gripping her knees to her chest.

Yoshiki was beginning to get worried, as this behavior wasn't like Ayumi at all. Sure she cried, but he'd never seen her look so upset and emotionally worn before.

"Ayumi," he begged. "Please tell me! Please!"

"I . . ." she sniffed. "I was pregnant . . . and when I quit eating I . . . I killed- I killed-"

Ayumi refused to speak anymore, but she knew she didn't have to. Yoshiki had cut her off by pulling her too him, despite her rejection of the comfort. She could feel him running his hand soothingly through her wet hair and she curled into his warmth, accepting the fact that she wasn't going to die alone in the rain.

"I didn't mean for this to happen . . ." she coughed weakly. "I just-

"Shh . . . don't talk right now."

He could barely hear her mutter a quick 'ok' over the sound of the rain against the ground. Yoshiki didn't know what to do. Usually, he quickly resolved a potential problem, but not this time. He just didn't know _anything_ anymore. Getting technical with himself, he forced his emotions to come to the reality that _he _had been the one to . . .

He refused to even think the words, and succumbed to being a complete coward. None of this should have happened. None of this _would_ have happened if he would have just swallowed his pride and went to visit her after calling her didn't work. He should have known better. He knew that Ayumi had a hard time accepting things were her fault, and didn't want to admit defeat and apologize first. So why couldn't he have just been a man and done it instead? _Why _did he have to let his anger get the better of him and break up with her, knowing that deep down inside of him that he didn't even want to?

Now he had lost her, his . . . _own child_, and he was getting married to someone else. Could things be any worse than they were right now?

"I'm so sorry . . ." he said to her, unable to bring his voice to anything louder than a hoarse whisper. "This was entirely my fault and don't you dare think for even a second that it was yours. I did this to you . . . to us."

Ayumi shook her head against his chest. No, this was _her _fault. Why hadn't she known she was pregnant? She was getting all the symptoms. Her head was hurting, she had a change in appetite, she'd find herself vomiting for no reason at all, and she'd gotten dizzy and passed out. She had eventually figured out that at the hospital when the doctor had told her it was crucial to eat because of her "surgery," he was telling her that she needed to begin eating again so she could at least save herself, since she couldn't save . . .

Why was she so weak? Why did she let a simple break up run her life? Why did she have to be so oblivious to what was going on?

"I love you . . ." he muttered to her again.

Ayumi sniffed and wiped her eyes once more before returning the phrase. "I love you too . . ."

Not wanting to ruin the mood any further by admitting to her that he was getting married, Yoshiki simply picked her up and began to take her back home . . .

A/N: :'( *cries*


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

A/N: I could _NOT_ start off the day with such a sad chapter!

Lover

A couple of months had passed and Ayumi found herself healing slowly. She had been forced into therapy by her older sister, and though she hated to admit it, it had helped her immensely. First of all, she began eating again, and was almost back up to her original weight. She had more energy, though she didn't spend much time using it other than working. Her mind still refused to let go of what _could _have been though, and some nights, she still found herself crying herself to sleep. At first, she didn't want to be happy, thinking that if . . . her child couldn't be happy, then why should she? Her therapist had talked her out of that mentality though, saying that it wasn't her fault, and that her child would want her to be happy. Ayumi accepted this, although hesitantly, and was managing to function as normally as she could in society.

Until she had found out . . .

From a newspaper . . .

Ayumi had been busying herself with work as always, this time taking no heed to dented boxes of cereal, when Rena had shoved the newspaper in her face, forcing her to read it. It was a story on how the heir to the Kishinuma family had _finally _settled down and gotten married to Akari Tsuzuki of the Tsuzuki branch. She didn't want to believe it. Immediately, she dropped the paper from her hands as if it had scorched her fingers. Her eyes welled up with tears and for probably the millionth time, she began to cry again.

Why?! Why did this have to happen?! Hadn't he just told her he'd loved her?

Throughout the last couple of months, they had been keeping in touch. She had met with him a few times to eat and hold a normal conversation, and she even found herself at her house once or twice, talking with Ayako. But that _whole _time, she realized, he had been _engaged. _And now he was officially married.

She had so many questions that would probably never be answered but . . . she couldn't live her life if they weren't. Why hadn't he told her he was going to get married? And _why _was he getting married to someone other than her? Didn't he love her?

Obviously not since he was marrying someone else, and did this mean that he loved Akari . . .?

"Oh my God . . ." she had muttered to herself. "I really lost him . . . He's in love with someone else and now . . . he's married to her."

"Well, you screwed up," Rena said. "You should have married him when you had the chance."

"Hey!" Miki yelled. "Don't say stuff like that!"

"No . . ." Ayumi said, tears flowing from her eyes. "Kurosaki's right . . . I screwed up. I lost him . . . he's with her now."

Both Miki and Rena were quiet as they watched Ayumi continue to cry. They were both awaiting an outburst from the girl, but none came. Ayumi had been broken, completely. She had no reason to fight anymore. No matter what she did, Yoshiki was now married and legally bonded to someone else. What could she do?

"I need to talk to him . . ." Ayumi sighed, through sobs. "I have to say something. I need to accept this, but first, I have to see him . . ."

* * *

><p>Yoshiki was sitting quietly at his kitchen table, Akari on his right, and his mother and father on the other side of the table.<p>

"Son . . ." Isao said. "I could have never been more proud to give you my business."

When Yoshiki didn't answer, Isao sighed and continued.

"Are you ready to take over such a responsibility?"

Once, again, he received no answer.

"Ayako!" Isao roared. "Make your son speak!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Kishinuma," Akari muttered. "Maybe you shouldn't hand over the business just yet."

"Please, call us mom and dad," Isao urged.

"Do _not,_" Ayako hissed. "Call me _mom_."

Isao frowned. "Now dearest, let's not be-

"And you!" she continued. "Do not refer to me as 'dearest' ever again."

The hostile environment grew even more tense, and as the silence went on, Akari eventually swallowed nervously and broke the ice. "How will you make money, Mr. Kish- . . . dad?"

"I have enough billions saved in the bank to live the rest of my life peacefully," Isao confirmed, with a cocky smile on his face. "But it's time for Yoshiki to be a man, step up, and take over."

"I don't even have the degree to do such a thing . . ." Yoshiki muttered. "I can't."

"You don't need a degree!" Isao said. "All you need is to sign this paper and the company and its employees are yours. _I _have the degree to own a business, and that's all that matters. With our power, we can do whatever we want son. Do not worry of such things as silly as a _degree._"

Picking up a pen, Yoshiki grabbed the paper from his father's hand and signed it neatly before sliding it back across the table.

Isao smiled and wrapped his arm around Ayako who immediately shrugged him off. Ignoring it, he leaned across the table. "Have you two consummated the mar-

"No," Yoshiki said, darkly. "And we never will."

Akari glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and mentally sighed. Maybe she had made a mistake getting married to Yoshiki. She thought that he would eventually get over Ayumi and come to love her instead, but that was not the case. No matter how much she wanted it, he would never be her lover, for he was bound to Ayumi with some invisible force that Akari could not see.

_"Maybe if I give it some time . . ." _she thought. _"He might get over her . . ."_

"Yoshiki," Isao sighed. "You can't put this off forever. I need grandkids."

To this, Yoshiki was absolutely silent, and Ayako was the only one who understood why.

"I'm done with this," Ayako muttered, and stood from the table. "This is disgusting."

"Ayako!" Isao scolded. "Please don't be so rash. I-

The doorbell rang and everyone shared a glance before Ayako left the room and went to open the door. Silence hung ominously between the remaining three at the table before voices were heard.

"Ayumi!" Ayako said. "How nice of you to stop by!"

Immediately, Isao, Yoshiki and Akari rushed away from the table, pushing and shoving one another to get into the living room. Isao was furious that Ayumi came by, Yoshiki himself was eager to see Ayumi, and Akari going just because she wanted to see how everything turned out.

It was the first time Akari had seen Ayumi in quite awhile, and the first thing she noticed was that Ayumi was looking much healthier. She had regained the weight she had lost, and the normally bright glow of her cheeks. Her eyes shined as bright as her face, and thick, heavy lashes fell upon her cheeks when she blinked. As she slightly smiled, her thick lips were pulled back, further glimmering with the lip-gloss she was wearing.

All in all, Akari thought she was beautiful, and it made her feel ill. Though she was Yoshiki's wife, she could never compare to the raven haired girl before him and she knew this thought would be on her mind for the entire duration of their marriage.

_"I will always be second in his eyes . . ." _Akari thought, miserably. _"Why me . . .?"_

"Hi . . ." Ayumi muttered. "I just . . . I guess I just needed to confirm to myself that this was really happening. I saw it in the papers . . ."

"Ayumi!" Ayako cried, gripping onto the girl. "I will forever love you and think of you as my daughter, don't you worry! Even if Yoshiki's married to Asami, I couldn't for a second let you go!"

Akari bristled at the name she was called and sighed softly. "Yes, Ayumi. Yoshiki and I are married."

"I understand . . ." Ayumi sighed.

"Good," Isao huffed, before crossing his arms haughtily. "Then leave."

Before anyone could say anything, Isao turned and stalked from the room and Ayako growled in warning before chasing after him, leaving Akari, Ayumi, and Yoshiki.

"We all need to talk . . ." Yoshiki said. "All of us . . . Now . . ."

A/N: Just one more chapter . . . what's going to happen?


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CORPSE PARTY! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTABLE OWNERS!

Lover

The three ended up in Yoshiki room, each one of them occupying a different corner. The two girls stood, patiently waiting for Yoshiki to take charge and speak, which he did.

"Akari . . ." he started, staring at his wife. "I do not love you. I have never loved you, and I never will . . . don't make this harder for yourself by thinking that I will come to have affections for you, because I just won't."

"Yoshiki," Akari sighed. "You can't do this to me . . . it isn't fair for us to be married, and I don't deserve to be married to someone who won't love me."

"So divorce me."

"I-I can't," she admitted. "My father thinks you are perfect and won't let me. He thinks that with time, this will resolve itself, and he really likes you and Isao."

"So you are willing to put yourself through torture for your father's sake?"

Akari flinched at the words, knowing that they hardly held any truth. It wasn't just for her father's sake, it was more for her own. Time healed all wounds right? For the millionth time she asked herself-wouldn't Yoshiki eventually just get over Ayumi? Maybe it would take months, or even years, but Akari was prepared to wait. She truly _was_ very fond of Yoshiki, and her heart _did _love him. Now that she was married to him, she didn't know if she could just let him go all of a sudden. This had been hers and her father's dream for years. Getting married was a milestone for her family; she couldn't just back out now could she?

Ayumi coughed slightly, getting their attention. "Look . . . it's clear that two out of the three people in this room, will have a relationship. Whether they want to or not. And I can't be a part of it . . . _this_, anymore. No matter how much I dislike it-and I really, really dislike it-I just won't win here. Akari and Yoshiki-you two are married. I know from experience that there is always a winner and a loser. I usually win, but I just can't this time. I have to lose. And I guess I can accept that."

"Do you love him?" Akari asked, sounder meaner than she had intended to.

"Yes," Ayumi admitted. "But . . . I can't act upon those feelings anymore."

"If I remain married to Akari," Yoshiki intervened. "No one here will win. We will all be losers. This marriage cannot last any longer. I love Ayumi . . ."

Ayumi could feel her cheeks heat up at his comment, but restrained herself and remained as stoic as possible. She truly did hate to lose him though, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't fight this. It pained her heart to know that the only one she would probably ever love couldn't be with her, but what could she do at this point?

"I can't believe we're in this mess," Akari mumbled. "My husband is in love with someone else and she's in love with him too . . . I didn't ask for something like this."

"You asked for it when you married him!" Ayumi bit out, and then cursed herself. "I mean . . . ugh, you know what I mean."

"No," Akari said. "I don't."

"Well, did you honestly think he could get over me?"

"Are you really flattering yourself right now?" Akari asked, in disbelief. "He's _my _husband, you know."

"I already told you I've accepted it. What more do you want?"

"You haven't really accepted it! If you really loved him, you wouldn't be okay with this."

"Well I am, because I understand that he's married! Look, I'll back off!"

"It doesn't matter if you back off," Yoshiki said. "I'll always love you."

Akari huffed. "See? This is why this whole thing doesn't work!"

"Well what do you want me to do?" Yoshiki asked. "Just ignore my feelings? I want to get a divorce for your sake."

"Really? For my sake?" Akari asked. "Yeah right. You just want to get a divorce so you can be with her. I'm not an idiot . . ."

"We're all idiots," Ayumi admitted. "Look at us. Fighting over this whole situation, when really, we should supporting each other."

Yoshiki nodded. "She's right. We shouldn't be arguing and instead, going about this as mature adults."

"Right," Akari said. "I agree completely. I-

Suddenly, the doorbell could be heard, followed by footsteps. The warm, cheery voice of Isao filled the house.

"Ah! Kain! So wonderful of you to come over!"

"Of course Isao!" Kain said. "I just came to see how Akari was. Where is she?"

"I better go downstairs," Akari muttered. "He'll want to see you too Yoshiki."

"I understand," Yoshiki said. "I will be down shortly."

"Then we can actually continue this conversation," Ayumi added. "And finally work this out."

Feeling relieved that everyone was getting along, Akari happily excused herself and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Neither Yoshiki or Ayumi waited until she was out of earshot before lunging at each other, connecting their long awaiting lips in a sloppy, rushed kiss. Their abilities to think rationally anymore were completely thwarted as they lost themselves in the passion. Ayumi was forcefully pulled up and out of instinct, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms encircling his neck so that she could cling to him. Their lips disconnected, and Ayumi sighed in bliss, feeling his warm lips trailed down her neck before roughly sucking on the creamy white skin.

She knew she'd have several hickeys by the time they were done, but she didn't care and in fact, she embraced them, wanting him to mark her skin.

His lips descended lower and lower until he realized that he was growing tired of her clothes and quickly stripped her off them, making haste. He desperately wanted to slow down and take his time with his beautiful lover, but he couldn't. It had been too long without the feeling of her beneath him, and with every second, he was growing closer and closer to achieving that moment.

Pushing her down onto his bed, he moved over her, claiming her mouth once again. His hands desperately moved to grab her breasts and Ayumi groaned at the feeling. Going so long without his hands on her made every grab, touch, or stroke ten times more intense that it usually was. She felt sensitive everywhere, her hips rising off the bed already begging for attention.

Completely lost in his kiss, Ayumi's eyes remained shut as she could hear the fabric of his clothes rustling as he quickly pulled them off. Her heart raced with excitement knowing what was to come. She could feel his hand slip between her legs and she moaned before opening herself wider to him.

Her blush intensified, and for the first time, it wasn't _solely _because of what he was doing to her-expertly she might add. It was also the fact that he was married, and she couldn't decide if that fact turned her on or not.

Noticing she was reddening from her face all the way down to her chest, Yoshiki pulled away from her and smiled. "Enjoying the thrill of sleeping with a married man?"

Ayumi's eyes widened considerably and she looked away in embarrassment. "H-how did you know?"

"I didn't until you told me."

"Shut up!"

He chuckled and kissed her again, silencing her before roughly pushing into her. He was pretty sure that if his mouth wasn't occupied everyone would have heard him. It was just the fact that he had missed _this _so badly. Missed her, missed being with her, and definitely missed being _in _her.

"I love you," Yoshiki muttered, resting his forehead against her.

"I love you too," Ayumi said, and as soon as the words were uttered she could feel him begin to move, and he wasn't gentle at all.

Wanting to moan in pleasure, she bit down on his shoulder in an effort to keep herself quiet, but it was no use. Her noises of pleasure filled the room and she could only hope that they didn't travel farther from the room they were in. She panted wildly, gripping to him and refusing to let him go.

"They're going to hear . . . Yosh-ahh," she mumbled, biting her lip so hard that she was drawing blood.

"Let them," he breathed.

Ayumi blushed deeply at her lack of self-control and buried her face in his neck. She could feel her stomach twist around in knots before the impact of her orgasm hit her hard enough to make her see white. She arched her back, pressing her chest against his and groaned loudly, knowing that anyone that happened to be in the hallway could have heard her.

Yoshiki planted another kiss on her purpling neck and also found release, pulling away from her to breathe and catch his breath. His heart was throbbing noisily in his chest, so much that he could hear it in his ears. Ayumi lied beneath him, panting and sweating, her eyes glossed over and her cheeks red from all of the blood that had rushed to her face.

"So sexy . . ." he muttered, pressing his lips against hers again.

Ayumi kissed back and eventually broke the kiss to breathe. "You just cheated on your wife."

"Mmhmm . . ."

"Ew. You're disgusting."

"Slut."

"Hey!" Ayumi giggled, slapping his chest. "Don't call me names, cheater!"

"Well," he chuckled. "Don't call _me _names . . . whore."

Ayumi stuck her tongue out at him. "Well . . . now what?"

"Hmm . . . I don't know."

"Well we could-

There was a knock, quickly drawing both pairs of eyes over to the door.

"Never mind," Akari said, opening the door. "My father already left and I . . ."

A/N: Uh oh! I think I just set myself up for a third volume in this series. Who can guess what it's going to be called . . . ;)


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